Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

86 Tex. Crim. 112

215 S.W 312

Bibb v. State

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas · decided 1919-06-04

<p>1. —Murder—Manslaughter—Reputation for Chastity—Evidence.</p> <p>Where, upon trial of murder, defendant pleaded self-defense but contended that the State introduced evidence raising the issue of manslaughter and that it was bound thereby, and could not ask for a conviction of murder and was in no event authorized to introduce testimony of the bad reputation of the wife of the defendant, in order to rebut and overcome the theory of manslaughter thus raised by its own evidence, held, that such contention was untenable.</p> <p>2. —Same—Rule Stated—Manslaughter—Evidence—Malice.</p> <p>If, upon trial of murder, the State had introduced testimony from which a conclusion of manslaughter might be drawn, in whole or in part, it would not be compelled to rest its case there, or be precluded from showing that such testimony did not produce adequate cause and that the facts evidenced malice in the particular case and was murder.</p> <p>3. —Same—Rule Stated—Insult to Female Relative—Murder—Manslaughter.</p> <p>In the instant case if the State had seen fit to prove, as an original proposition, that defendant killed deceased because he was going with his wife who had sued him for divorce, this would in no sense have deprived the State of its right to proceed, if it could, to show that such killing was without passion or without the other indicia of manslaughter.</p> <p>4. —Same—Rule Stated—Insulting Conduct to Female Relative.</p> <p>In all cases where insulting conduct to female relative is relied upon to reduce the homicide to manslaughter, the character of the female in question is made an issue under the statute. Following Wood v. State, 31 Texas Crim. Rep., 571, and other cases. And where the testimony covered a period of time beginning some eight years previous to the homicide and extending back for several years it was not too remote.</p> <p>5. —Same—Rule Stated—Time Not Essential—Question of Fact..</p> <p>In determining how far this character of evidence may be removed from that of the offense to which such evidence relates, it is impossible to make any hard and fast rule, and it seems that when such evidence is admissible at all, the same should be allowed regardless of the time, this being a fact for the jury.</p> <p>6. —Same—Evidence—Reputation—Rule Stated—Place of Residence—Presumption.</p> <p>A. witness or party whose reputation becomes issuable may rove from place to place without fixed residence, in which case his or her reputation may be proven at any place where the witness or party lived long enough to establish one. Mynatt v. Hudson, 66 Texas, 66, and other cases, and the rule sustains the proposition that the reputation once established is presumed to remain the same until the contrary appears.</p> <p>7. —Same—Evidence—Specific Instances of Immorality.</p> <p>The defendant’s contention that the trial court erred in admitting testimony of specific instances of his wife’s immorality is sufficiently met by the fact that no objection was urged to any testimony upon this ground.</p> <p>8. —Same—Requested Charges—Manslaughter.</p> <p>Where the requested charges were either covered by the main charge of the court on manslaughter, or were on the weight of evidence, there was no reversible error in refusing them.</p> <p>9.—Same—Manslaughter—Self-defense—Charge of Court.</p> <p>Where, upon trial of murder, the court’s charge on self-defense followed precedent as also his charge on manslaughter, and the evidence in the case was sufficient to sustain the conviction of murder, there was no reversible error.</p> <p>10. —Same—Insult to Female Relative—Rule Stated—Unchastity.</p> <p>The accusation of unchastity, made against the female relative, cannot be adequate cause to arouse the mind of a male relative who already knows the facts of such unchastity. Following Redmond v. State, 52 Texas Crim. Rep., 591, and other cases.</p> <p>11. —Same—Manslaughter—Rule Stated—Insult to Female Relative.</p> <p>Four things must appear in a given case of homicide to reduce the same to manslaughter where the defendant relies upon insulting conduct to a female relative. The occurrence of insulting conduct or words; proof that this was the real cause of the killing, and that the killing must have taken place immediately on the happening of the insult or soon thereafter as the accused met the insulter, and that his mind was affected to such an extent as would commonly render the mind of a person of ordinary temper incapable of cool reflection. Following Reagan' v. State, 70 Texas Crim. Rep., 498, and other cases.</p> <p>12.—Same—Insult to Female Relative—Rule Stated.</p> <p>It seems not reasonable that a man made to be shown to have knowledge of the wife’s criminal intimacy with any number of men, without any passion being aroused, that he would still be allowed to set up such intimacy with one other man as having produced uncontrolable passion, but even then, the other necessary elements must concur in order to reduce the homicide to manslaughter.</p> <p>13.—Same—Manslaughter—Charge of Court—Insult to Female Relative.</p> <p>Where, upon trial of murder, the court’s charge on manslaughter, raised by the issue of insulting conduct by the deceased to defendant’s wife, did not limit the jury to insulting conduct ipso nomine but allowed them to range through the entire • evidence to find any condition or circumstance which is capable of creating and does create sudden passion, and instructs them that if from any such cause sudden passion arose and caused the killing it will be manslaughter, and further specifically calls their attention to such insulting conduct as adequate cause, the same was sufficient and there was no reversible error.</p> <p>14. —Same—Insulting Conduct to Female Relative—Evidence—Rule Stated.</p> <p>Where, upon trial of murder,- the defendant pleaded self-defense but also introduced evidence of his res gest® statement made immediately after he killed the deceased that the deceased broke up defendant’s family, this put the State upon notice that defendant would rely upon manslaughter also, and the State was privileged to prove the general bad character of defendant’s wife for virtue, and defendant’s knowledge of his wife’s immoral conduct on specific occasions.</p> <p>15. —Same—Unchastity—Rule Stated—Manslaughter—Charge of Court.</p> <p>The proof of the unchaste character of defendant’s wife did not take the issue of manslaughter out of the case, but the court’s charge on this phase of the evidence was sufficient, and there was no error in refusing a requested charge on this subject. Davidson, Presiding Judge, dissenting.</p> <p>16. —Same—Rehearing—Reputation for Chastity.</p> <p>Where, upon rehearing, the appellant contended that this court erred in overruling his exceptions to the testimony as to the reputation for chastity of his wife on specific occasions, but the record showed such unchastity and also showed the defendant’s knowledge of and consent thereto, there was no reversible error, although such conduct occurred many years before the homicide; there being no facts shown of a reformation of such conduct.</p> <p>17. —Same—Unchastity—Reputation—Manslaughter—Rule Stated.</p> <p>Where defendant claimed that the deceased broke up his family and that the killing resulted therefrom he had the right to have this issue submitted to the jury, but where the evidence also showed or suggested that defendant’s wife was a prostitute and that he knew that fact and that it ordinarily raised in his mind no anger, rage, etc., these were matters for the jury to decide whether the killing resulted from malice or uncontrolable emotion, and the fact that such evidence covered a period of years might affect its weight but not its admissibility; there being nó evidence to indicate any change in the character of defendant’s wife, or that defendant showed any resentment thereto.</p> <p>18.—Same—Requested Charge—Manslaughter—Weight of Evidence.</p> <p>Where, upon trial of murder, the defendant pleaded self-defense but the evidence also raised the issue of insulting conduct to defendant’s wife by the deceased, and showed criminal intimacy of said wife with deceased, etc., and the court gave a proper charge on manslaughter, there was no error of his refusal to submit defendant’s requested charge on this issue, which was on the weight of the evidence and did not submit the law of the case.</p>

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently March 1928

3 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1919-06-04

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1This case is before us upon appellant's motion for rehearing, and in view of the fact that most of the contentions therein revolve substantially around certain points, we shall state the grounds thereof rather fully.

¶2Appellant's bill of exception No. 15 sets forth that after having testified that the reputation for chastity of appellant's wife was bad at Athens, Texas, ten years prior to the time of the trial, a witness was asked, and stated over objection, that about said time appellant *126 solicited him to go to his house for illicit intimacy with a woman, and that when he got to the house, he was directed by appellant to go to a certain room, within which he would find the party; and that within said room he found appellant's wife.

¶3Bill of exception No. 17 sets forth that after having testified that the reputation of appellant's wife for chastity was bad at Mineral Wells,, and Athens, Texas, some thirteen years prior to the time of the trial, a witness was asked, and over objection stated that at Mineral Wells appellant solicited him to go to his house and engage in sexual intercourse with his wife that night, which he, the witness, did, and the next morning appellant came to the witness's place of business and told him that he forgot to pay his bill the night before, and that same was two dollars; that witness gave appellant $1 and promised him the remainder.

¶4Bill of exception No. 18 sets forth that after having testified that the reputation for chastity of appellant's wife was bad at Mineral Wells and Athens, more than thirteen years prior to the time of the trial, a witness was permitted, over objection, to testify that at about said time he overheard a conversation between appellant and another man, in which the other party charged that appellant invited him to his house to have sexual intercourse with his wife, and that she had given him a bad disease, which appellant denied by the statement that "She couldn't have given it to you; she never had a bad disease in her life." That the other party insisted that she had.

¶5In addition to urging that we have failed to pass on these bills in the original opinion, it is contended in this motion that the trial court's charge on manslaughter restricted same to those emotions of the mind arising from insulting conduct, and that there was no conduct of deceased in evidence which could come within the meaning of that term; and that the special charge on manslaughter asked by appellant should have been given.

¶6Relative to these contentions, we observed that manslaughter, in appellant's opinion, was in the case, which fact is evidenced by his special charge on that proposition. As stated in the original opinion, the issue of manslaughter was raised by the testimony, in our opinion.

¶7We further observed that the fact that appellant's wife was the cause of the killing is apparent, and that the degree of homicide, if unlawful, was to be determined by the attitude of appellant towards the deceased at the time, said attitude to be arrived at by the jury in the light of all the facts and circumstances in evidence.

¶8Where it is claimed that the deceased broke up the family of the accused, and that the killing resulted therefrom, the husband has the right to have submitted to the jury the question as to whether the attentions of the deceased to his wife were sufficient to cause in his mind those emotions which reduce to manslaughter; but *127 in such case, if it be suggested by the testimony that the wife is a prostitute and that the husband knew that fact, and that her prostitution ordinarily raises in his mind no anger, rage, or resentment, we would hold these very material matters, in order to enable the jury to determine in the instant case his real attitude, under all the facts and circumstances, toward the party slain, and to enable the jury to decide whether the killing resulted from malice or uncontrollable emotion. We do no violence to the evidence to say that appellant's own discussion and statements about his wife, in the instant case, appear to sufficiently establish the fact that she was in the unfortunate class named. Such being the case, it was pertinent and material to show the facts from which appellant's knowledge, consent to, and willingness for her to indulge in such conduct, would be inferred. The fact that such evidence covered a period of years, might affect its weight, but in the absence of evidence of some reform or change of habits or character, during such lapse of time, on the part of the wife, would not affect its admissibility. There seems to be no evidence in this record to indicate any change in the character of the wife prior to the time of this homicide, and it is abundantly established that a short time before said killing and without any apparent anger, rage, or resentment, the appellant discussed with various and sundry witnesses his wife's different recent lapses in this direction. This was fully discussed in the original opinion.

¶9We further observe that all this evidence was admitted, and bears directly on the motive and mental condition of the accused, and is, therefore, not subject to the objection that it is an attack upon the reputation or character of the appellant. Proof of another crime, or of various facts becomes admissible and material as affecting motive in many cases, and is not subject to the criticism, or open to the objection, that it is inadmissible because it is an attack upon the reputation or character of the defendant.

¶10If insulting conduct to a female relative be not the ground relied on to reduce this case to manslaughter, we are unable to perceive any other. It was without dispute that appellant and his wife were separated and that she had sued him for divorce and refused to make up with him; that deceased was keeping company with her, and, according to appellant's own testimony, told him in an interview between them a few days prior to the killing, that he intended to marry her. Appellant stated to the witness Green that on said occasion he told deceased of the character of his wife as a lewd woman, and endeavored to "break up Stokes' play house." It is evident, however, that after that deceased continued to keep company with the woman openly, and it was not claimed on behalf of appellant that his discovery of the fact that deceased was going with her was sudden, nor that said attentions were clandestine. *128 We quoted from the court's charge on manslaughter in the original opinion, showing both a general and special application of the law of manslaughter to the facts of the case, and this appears to be sufficient.

¶11The requested charge on manslaughter was as follows. "Special charge No. 5 requested by Defendant.

¶12Gentlemen of the jury. You are instructed that if the defendant believed that the deceased had been guilty of keeping company with defendant's wife and that the deceased was instrumental in preventing the defendant's wife from returning to defendant and living with him, and that at the time of the homicide the defendant met the deceased and his, defendant's wife, in company with each other on the sidewalk at night, and if you believe that all of these facts taken together produced in the mind of the defendant such a degree of anger, rage, resentment or terror as to render it incapable of cool reflection and if defendant did while under the influence of such passion rendering his mind incapable of cool reflection kill the deceased, then in such event you cannot find the defendant guilty of a higher degree of homicide than manslaughter or if you have a reasonable doubt as to whether or not such facts did produce in the mind of defendant such a degree of anger, rage, resentment or terror as to render it incapable of cool reflection, then you will give the defendant the benefit of such doubt and find him guilty of no higher offense than manslaughter. You will give this charge equal weight with the main charge."

¶13This charge is on the weight of the evidence, ignores the statutory requisite that the matters grouped therein must be adequate cause, and misapplies he doctrine of reasonable doubt. The three facts grouped in said charge could not reduce the killing to manslaughter unless, under the circumstances, they would have had that effect on a person of ordinary temper, situated as appellant was. So the existence in the minds of the jury of a reasonable doubt as to whether these facts produced in appellant's mind uncontrollable emotions, would certainly not have justified them in finding him guilty only of manslaughter.

¶14We have carefully examined each contention of appellant, and investigated all of the authorities cited, but are unable to perceive any error in the original opinion; and the motion for rehearing is accordingly overruled.

¶15Overruled.*129

/86/texcrim/112 · .json · Public domain