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94 Miss. 901

Thompson v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court

Decided March 15, 1909

Mississippi Supreme Court · decided 1909-03-15

From the circuit court of Monroe-county. Hon. Eugene O. Sykes, Judge. Thompson, appellant, was indicted and tried for and convicted of burglary with intent to rape, sentenced to the penitentiary and appealed to the supreme court. The facts are stated in the opinion of the court. It appears from the record in the case that the appellant was a deaf mute, and it was impossible to explain the charge to him.

Decided 1909-03-15

Eletciier, J.,

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶2This appellant, twenty years old, was deaf, able to talk but poorly, and of limited. intelligence. ’ He stood mute when arraigned, and was not able to communicate intelligently with his counsel. He attempted no defense on tire trial, and was naturally convicted. His counsel, in support of his motion for a new trial, made affidavit as to his client’s condition, and asserted that since the trial he had discovered a number of witnesses who would disprove all the material parts of the state’s testimony and establish defendant’s entire innocence of the crime charged and proven. He satisfactorily accounts for his failure to produce this testimony on the trial, since his client was unable to communicate with him. In view of the unfortunate infirmities affecting this defendant, his total failure to make any defense, and the number of the witnesses and the character of the testimony which, according to the showing could be produced at another trial, we think the ends of justice demand that a new trial be granted, in order that opportunity be given defendant to establish his innocence, if he can.

¶3Reversed and remanded.

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