Case Name: THE PEOPLE v. FREDERICK J. WILSON
Court: Supreme Court of California
Jurisdiction: California
Decision Date: 1874
Citations: 49 Cal. 13
Docket Number: No. 10,122
Parties: THE PEOPLE v. FREDERICK J. WILSON.
Judges: 
Reporter: California Reports
Volume: 49
Pages: 13–15

Head Matter:
[No. 10,122.]
THE PEOPLE v. FREDERICK J. WILSON.
Pboof op Insanity.—When, in a criminal case, the insanity of the defendant, at the time of the commission of the offense, is relied on as a defense, it is not necessary that it should be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, but may be proved by a preponderance of evidence.
Appeal from the County Court, San Benito County.
The defendant was indicted for an assault with intent to commit a robbery, and convicted, and appealed.
The other facts are stated in the opinion.
Murphy Shackelford & McPheters, for the Appellant, cited Wharton and Stiles’ Medical Jurisprudence, Secs. 262 to 266.
Attorney-General Love, for the People.

Opinion:
By the Court:
Insanity of the defendant at the time of the commission of the alleged offense was one of the defenses relied upon at the trial. On this point the Court charged the jury: "You cannot acquit him on the ground of insanity, because a doubt may arise in your minds on the question. His insanity must be made to appear to you beyond a reasonable doubt." Some of the authorities hold this to be the correct rule'; but in this State the contrary rule- has been settled by several decisions of this Court, the latest of which was in the case of the People v. McDonell (47 Cal. 134.) In that case we held that while the burden of proof is on the defendant to establish the insanity, it is sufficient to prove it by a preponderance of evidence; in other words, that "insanity must be clearly established by satisfactory evidence."
Judgment reversed, and cause remanded for a new trial.