Case Name: Vinson v. The State
Court: Supreme Court of Georgia
Jurisdiction: Georgia
Decision Date: 1905-12-21
Citations: 124 Ga. 453
Docket Number: 
Parties: Vinson v. The State.
Judges: All the Justices eoneur.
Reporter: Georgia Reports
Volume: 124
Pages: 453–454

Head Matter:
Vinson v. The State.
Argued November 21,
Decided December 21, 1905.
Indictment for shooting at another. Before Judge Wright. Polk superior court. October 25, 1905.
At the trial the accused' made a statement to the jury, in which he said that the shooting was done to save his life, the person at whom he shot having shot' at him with a pistol. No reference to the statement of the accused was made by the court in charging the jury. The accused was convicted, and one of the grounds of his motion for a new trial, tbe overruling of which is assigned as error, was the failure to charge the jury as to his statement.

Opinion:
Caktdler, J.
"It is the duty of the presiding judge to instruct the jury substantially in the terms of the statute touching the prisoner's statement, when he makes a statement, and in no case should this be omitted." The failure to so charge will be cause for a new trial, except where it is manifest from the record that the accused was not injured thereby. This did not appear in the present case. McCord v. State, 83 Ga. 535(7); Vaughn v. State, 88 Ga. 731(4) ; Doster v. State, 93 Ga. 43(4).
Judgment reversed.
All the Justices eoneur.
O. G. Janes and Bunn & Trawiclc, for plaintiff in error,
W. K, Fielder, solicitor-general, contra.