HAZEL JOHNSON, ALIAS HAZO JOHNSON, LEANDER JACKSON AND AZARIAH JACKSON,
v.
STATE
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Three defendants appealed their armed robbery conviction, claiming intoxication prevented them from forming criminal intent and that the trial court erred in denying a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed, finding the defendants' conduct during the crime demonstrated sufficient mental capacity and that the motion for new trial was properly denied for lack of supporting affidavits.
The court held that the defendants' extensive criminal activity over several hours demonstrated they possessed sufficient mental faculties unimpaired by intoxication to form the intent to commit armed robbery. The court also held that the motion for new trial was properly denied because it was supported only by the defendants' affidavits with no corroborating affidavits, which is insufficient grounds for granting such a motion.
“The period of activity on the part of the defendants, extending from about eleven-thirty at night until four o'clock the following morning, belies the position taken by them that they were so under the influence of intoxicating liquors that they were unable to form any intent to commit the crime of armed robbery.”
Establishes that the defendants' coordinated criminal conduct over an extended period demonstrated capacity to form criminal intent despite intoxication claims.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe defendants were parked beside the road when taken into custody by a deputy sheriff. During a five-mile pursuit, they overpowered the deputy, stole…
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In this case two questions are presented to the Court for determination, id est, whether the defendants were so intoxicated at the time of the alleged offense that they could not entertain an intent to commit the crime, and second, whether the trial court showed an abuse of discretion in denying a motion for new trial based on the ground of newly discovered evidence.
. Briefly, the testimony discloses that the defendants were parked in their car beside the road and were taken into custoday by the State witness, a deputy sheriff. After they had proceeded but a short distance, the defendants overpowered him, rifled his pockets, took from him a gun, watch and knife, placed a blindfold over his eyes and restrained him for a period of several hours.
The period of activity on the part of the defendants, extending from about eleven-thirty at night until four o’clock the following morning, belies the position taken by them that they were so under the influence of intoxicating liquors that they were unable to form any intent to commit the crime of armed robbery. During this time they committed the assault and drove a car several miles. After driving the car into a ditch they sought and obtained chains with which to extricate it. Upon failing in the accomplishment of that, they secured other chains in the neighborhood and a negro to help them. They finally released the car, returned their helper to his home, removed the deputy sheriff to the wood and tied him to a tree.
There is nought in the testimony to show any imbibing by the defendants while they were in the-presence of the deputy sheriff. The defendants based their contention on the statement of the State’s witness that they were drunk when he apprehended them after a pursuit of five miles.
*67The court charged the jury with reference to their duty to reconcile the testimony of'all the witnesses if possible, and, if not, their privilege of believing such witnesses as they thought were entitled to credence. Considering the statements of the witnesses for the State, as well as those of the defendants themselves, we reach the opinion that there is real basis for the conclusion of the jury that the defendants were in sufficient possession of their mental faculties, unimpaired by the effects of strong drink, to form an intent to commit armed robbery.
The motion for a new trial, sworn to by the plaintiffs in error, set out that the watch, alleged to have been taken from the person assaulted, was subsequently found at the scene of the assault, and that therefore the trial judge should have granted the motion because of newly discovered evidence.
It seems to be established beyond question by the decisions of this Court that such a motion should be denied when based solely on the affidavit of the defendant. In the instant case there were no supporting affidavits, hence the Judge of the Circuit Court did not commit error when he entered his order refusing the defendants a new trial. See Jones v. State, 35 Fla. 289, 17 South. Rep. 284; Nickels v. State, 86 Fla. 208, 98 South. Rep. 497.
The judgment of the lower court is affirmed.
Terrell, C. J., and Buford, J., concur.
Whitfield, P. J., and Brown and Chapman, J. J., concur in the opinion and judgment.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Harley Woods v. State, 152 Fla. 417 (Fla. 1943)…of forming the intent necessary to his conviction was a jury question. The record convinces us that the jury reached the proper and legal conclusion. In the case of Hamilton v. State, 133 Fla. 481, 182 So. 854, and in the case of Johnson v. State, 135 Fla. 65, 184 So. 653, the defendants respectively relied upon a like contention as is interposed here, but in each case the jury rendered a verdict of guilty and on review this Court affirmed the judgments entered on such verdicts. The record shows conclus…
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Brock v. State, 139 Fla. 105 (Fla. 1939)…rs to warrant a verdict of guilty. The motion' for new trial on the ground of newly discovered evidence was properly denied because substantiated only by the affidavit of defendant. Jones v. State, 35 Fla. 289, 17 South. Rep. 284; Johnson v. State, 135 Fla. 65, 184 South. Rep. 653. The judgment is affirmed. Terrell, C. J., Whitfield, Chapman and Thomas, J. J., concur. [*106] Buford, J., dissents. Justice Brown not participating as authorized by Section 4687, Compiled General Laws of 1927, and Rule 21-A…
Authorities Cited
- Nickels v. State, 86 Fla. 208 (Fla. 1923)
- Jones v. State, 35 Fla. 289 (Fla. 1895)