Case Name: STATE v. RESTIVA
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1921-05-30
Citations: 149 La. 683
Docket Number: No. 24623
Parties: STATE v. RESTIVA.
Judges: MONROE, C. J., concurs in decree for the reason that the word “malice” does not appear in the indictment.
Reporter: Louisiana Reports
Volume: 149
Pages: 683–685

Head Matter:
(90 South. 23)
No. 24623.
STATE v. RESTIVA.
(May 30, 1921.
On Rehearing, Oct. 31, 1921.)
(Syllabus by Editorial Staff.)
f. Homicide <&wkey;>l27 — Indictment for murder held sufficient.
An indictment charging that defendant “willfully and feloniously and with malaee aforethought did kill and murder,” objected to because of omission of word “his” before “malice,” .and that the word “did” should precede “willfully” instead of “kill,” held valid and sufficient.
2. Indictment and information <&wkey;>79 — Misspelling of malice held not to invalidate an indictment.
The word “malice,” in an indictment for murder, is equivalent to the word! “malaee,” under the rule of idem sonans, and absolute accuracy in spelling is not required in legal documents or proceedings, if the name as spelled sounds the same to the ear.
Appeal from Twenty-Fifth Judicial District Court, Parish of Tangipahoa; R. S. Ellis, Judge.
Mariane Restiva was indicted for mui-der, and a demurrer to the indictment was sustained, and the State appeals.
Judgment appealed from annulled, avoided, and reversed, and cause remanded upon rehearing.
A. V. Coco, Atty. Gen., and M. J. Allen, Dist. Atty., of Amite (T. S. Walmsley, of New Orleans, of counsel), for the State.
Rownd & Hungate, of Hammond, for appellee.

Opinion:
PROVOSTY, J.
A demurrer was sustained below to the indictment reading that the accused "willfully and feloniously and with malaee aforethought did kill and murder," etc. The defects consist in the omission of the word "his" before "malice" and in the use of the word "malaee" instead of "malice"; both fatal. Marr's Crim. Juris, p. 55.
Judgment affirmed.
MONROE, C. J., concurs in decree for the reason that the word "malice" does not appear in the indictment.