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52 Cal. 251

People v. Leith

California Supreme Court

Decided July 1, 1877

California Supreme Court · decided 1877-07-01

The defendants, William Leith, Senior, and John Thayer, were jointly indicted for the crime of murder by killing Bobert C. Hayden, on the 19th day of May, 1876. Leith was tried separately. He and Thayer were in a ditch about which there was some difficulty, when Hayden approached. Leith and Thayer both fired. Hayden was killed. Thayer was the co-defendant referred to in the opinion of the Court. The defendant was convicted of murder in the second degree, and appealed.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently November 1890

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1877-07-01

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By the Court :

¶1There was evidence tending to prove that the fatal shot was mot fired by this defendant, but by a co-defendant standing near. This rendered it important that the jury should be correctly in*252structed as to the liability of one who was not a direct actor,, but is claimed to have been present aiding and abetting the criminal act. As an illustration of the principle applicable to the case, the Court said to the jury: “ If A and B go upon the piece of property belonging to them jointly, or in which they have a common interest, for a lawful purpose, and whilst engaged in such lawful pursuit, D, with whom A and B have had some quarrel or difficulty, passes by them or goes toward them, and A commands D to hold or he will shoot him, and that B then shoots and kills D under circumstances which would make the killing unlawful, then A and B would be equally guilty of the offense.”

¶2This is clearly erroneous. The facts of a previous common quarrel with the deceased, and the command to halt and threat to shoot, do not necessarily import a common criminal intent to kill on the part of the co-defendants. If unaccompanied by other circumstances, they would not necessarily import an intent to kill upon the part of this defendant; for the threat may have been intended for intimidation merely, and without a desire to. carry the threat into execution. It would have been sufficient to have said that the jury might consider these circumstances in determining whether this defendant was an aider and abettor in the killing.

¶3Judgment and order reversed and cause remanded for a new ■ trial.

¶4Wallace, C. J., did not express an opinion in this case.

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