Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

96 Miss. 369

Watson v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1909

Mississippi Supreme Court · decided 1909-10-15

Eeom the circuit court of Warren county. ETON. JojjN N. Bush, Judge. Watson, appellant, was indicted and tried for and convicted of murder, sentenced to the penitentiary for life, and appealed to the supreme court. The opinion of the court státes the facts upon which the decision turned.

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently November 1965

2 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1909-10-15

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Whiteield, O. J.,

¶1delivered tbe opinion of tbe court.

¶2Tbis conviction rests almost exclusively upon tbe testimony of Nay Boykin. Tbe testimony of that witness on tbe trial in tbe circuit court is so overwhelmingly contradicted by bis own previous testimony, taken down in writing at tbe coroner’s inquest, and by tbe testimony of George Anderson, Mr. 0. L. Swords, Joe Homberger, John Biancbi, and others, as to make it gravely questionable whether tbis court should not set aside tbis verdict on that ground alone, as utterly unwarranted by tbe testimony. We prefer, however, to rest the judgment of reversal in tbis case upon the ground that the newly discovered testimony of Leota-Johnson was most vital and material to a just decision of tbis case. Tbe application for a new trial on the ground of tbis newly discovered evidence conformed strictly, in all respects, to tbe requirements touching such applications, and tbe testimony being, as stated, of tbe most vital character, it was error, and fatal error, to overrule tbe motion for tbe new trial.

¶3Nor tbis error, tbe judgment is reversed, and tbe cause remanded. Reversed.

/96/miss/369 · .json · Public domain