Wilson

People v. Wilson

Good Law
1916 Cal. App. LEXIS 178·29 Cal. App. 563·156 P. 377
Court of Appeal of CaliforniaFebruary 4, 1916Crim. No. 454.California779 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

Conrey, J.

Defendant was convicted of the crime of murder in the second degree and sentenced to imprisonment for the term of twenty years. His appeal is from the judgment and from an order denying his motion for a new trial.

The principal assignment of error refers to the court’s instruction to the jury that it might find the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree, or murder in the second degree, or not guilty, and the court’s refusal to add to these alternatives an instruction that they might, if the evidence warranted it, find him guilty of manslaughter. The general rule is, as stated in the Penal Code, section 1159, that “the jury may find the defendant guilty of any offense, the commission of which is necessarily included in that with which he is charged, or of an attempt to commit the offense. ’ ’ The attorney-general has called our attention to decisions of the supreme court which hold that in a prosecution for .murder the' refusal of the court to instruct the jury that they may return a verdict of manslaughter is not error, if the evidence clearly shows that the crime committed was not manslaughter. (People v. Lee Gam, 69 Cal. 552 , [ 11 Pac. 183 ]; People v. Fellows, 122…

Sign in to read the full opinion

Create a free account to read the complete opinion text, citation history, and good-law status for this case.