Title: State v. McLaughlin
Citation: 213 S.E.2d 238, 286 N.C. 597
Docket Number: 28
State: north-carolina
Issuer: north-carolina Supreme Court
Date: April 14, 1975

213 S.E.2d 238 (1975)
286 N.C. 597
STATE of North Carolina
v.
Alexander McLAUGHLIN.
No. 28.

Supreme Court of North Carolina.
April 14, 1975.
*241 Atty. Gen. Robert Morgan, Deputy Atty. Gen. James F. Bullock, and Associate Attys. Austin B. Campbell, John R. Morgan and Ralf F. Haskell, Asst. Atty. Gen., Raleigh, for the State.
Fred L. Musselwhite, Lumberton, for defendant appellant.
MOORE, Justice.
The murder indictments in these cases were drawn under G.S. § 15-144. Defendant, before trial, filed a motion for a bill of particulars requiring the State to make an election as to whether the murders were done with premeditation and deliberation, or in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate arson. Defendant contends it was error for the court to overrule this motion and to charge the jury that they could return a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree if they found from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the killings were done with malice and after premeditation and deliberation, or that the killings were done in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate arson.
G.S. § 14-17 in part provides:
G.S. § 15-144 provides:
A bill of indictment drawn under G.S. § 15-144 is sufficient to sustain verdicts of guilty of murder in the first degree if the jury finds from the evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant killed the deceased with malice, after premeditation and deliberation, or that he killed the deceased in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate any arson, rape, robbery, burglary, or other felony. State v. Moore, 284 N.C. 485, 202 S.E.2d 169 (1974); State v. Thompson, 280 N.C. 202, 185 S.E.2d 666 (1972); State v. Haynes, 276 N.C. 150, 171 S.E.2d 435 (1970).
If a defendant is charged with murder in the first degree by a bill of indictment drawn under G.S. § 15-144 and desires to know whether the State relies on proof the killing was done with premeditation or deliberation, or in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate a felony, he should apply for a bill of particulars as provided in G.S. § 15-143 (repealed by Session Laws of 1973, c. 1286, s. 26, effective July 1, 1975). State v. Haynes, supra.
The function of such a bill of particulars is (1) to inform the defense of the specific occurrences intended to be investigated on the trial and (2) to limit the course of the evidence to the particular scope of inquiry. State v. Cameron, 283 N.C. 191, 195 S.E.2d 481 (1973); State v. Spence, 271 N.C. 23, 155 S.E.2d 802 (1967); State v. Overman, 269 N.C. 453, 153 S.E.2d 44 (1967).
The granting or denial of motions for a bill of particulars is within the discretion of the court and is not subject to review except for palpable and gross abuse thereof. State v. Cameron, supra; State v. Spence, supra; State v. Porth, 269 N.C. 329, 153 S.E.2d 10 (1967).
The arson indictment in this case sets out the county in which the alleged offense occurred, the date of the occurrence, the street address of the house alleged to have been burned and the names of the occupants therein at the time.
The murder indictments each give the date and the county where the offense was alleged to have occurred and the name of the alleged victim. The names of those alleged to have been murdered are the same as those alleged to have been occupants of the house when the fire was set. Defendant was familiar with the house involved and its occupants, having visited and slept there on occasions. All the information surrounding the commission of the crimes was contained in the bills of indictment and was well known to defendant. Furthermore, the solicitor announced that he would *243 make out a case of premeditation and deliberation and would also make out a case of homicide in the perpetration of a felony, so defendant was on notice as to all elements of the charges against him and as to how the State planned to proceed. Under these circumstances, defendant has failed to show any abuse of discretion by the trial court in denying his motion for a bill of particulars.
Murder in the first degree is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice and with premeditation and deliberation. A specific intent to kill is a necessary constituent of the elements of premeditation and deliberation in first degree murder. State v. Robbins, 275 N.C. 537, 169 S.E.2d 858 (1969). Premeditation and deliberation are not usually susceptible of direct proof and are therefore susceptible of proof by circumstances from which the facts sought to be proven may be inferred. As stated in State v. Walters, 275 N.C. 615, 624, 170 S.E.2d 484, 490 (1969):
In the present case, several witnesses for the State testified that prior to the fire defendant said he was going to burn Lewbertha's house and, in addition, Lewbertha testified that defendant said he was going to burn her house and her baby. After the fire was set defendant made the statement that he had "burned [the house] down." From this evidence, the jury could find that the defendant acted with premeditation and deliberation.
Under G.S. § 14-17, a murder committed in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate arson is murder in the first degree irrespective of premeditation or deliberation, or malice aforethought. State v. Hairston, 280 N.C. 220, 185 S.E.2d 633 (1972); State v. Thompson, supra.
We hold that the evidence in these cases was sufficient to permit the jury to find that defendant committed premeditated murder or murder in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate arson. Therefore, the trial court did not err in submitting both to the jury.
By his next assignment of error defendant contends that the trial court erred in overruling the defendant's motion for nonsuit at the close of the State's evidence and at the close of all the evidence.
The evidence in the present case shows that defendant announced to several witnesses his intention to burn the house and that shortly after the fire he told Daisy Blue that he had "burned Lewbertha's damn house." He freely and fully confessed to police officers that he had burned the house. His statement closely paralleled the other evidence against him.
As we said in State v. McNeil, 280 N.C. 159, 161-62, 185 S.E.2d 156, 157 (1971):
Accord, State v. Tillman, 269 N.C. 276, 152 S.E.2d 159 (1967); State v. Bogan, 266 N.C. 99, 145 S.E.2d 374 (1965).
The evidence in this case clearly meets that standard and was properly submitted to the jury. This assignment is overruled.
Defendant next contends that the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury on the law of intoxication as a defense, asserting that there was evidence from which the jury could have concluded that defendant was so intoxicated that he was incapable of forming criminal intent to commit the crimes of arson and murder in the first degree.
Except where a crime requires a showing of specific intent, voluntary intoxication is not a defense to a criminal charge. State v. Bunn, 283 N.C. 444, 196 S.E.2d 777 (1973); State v. Propst, 274 N.C. 62, 161 S.E.2d 560 (1968); State v. Cureton, 218 N.C. 491, 11 S.E.2d 469 (1940); State v. Murphy, 157 N.C. 614, 72 S.E. 1075 (1911). See, Annot., 8 A.L.R.3d 1236 (1966).
Specific intent is not an element of the crime of arson. 5 Am.Jur.2d, Arson and Related Offenses § 10 (1962); 6 C.J.S. Arson § 3; State v. Thomas, 241 N.C. 337, 85 S.E.2d 300 (1955); State v. Cash, 234 N.C. 292, 67 S.E.2d 50 (1951); State v. Anderson, 228 N.C. 720, 47 S.E.2d 1 (1948). See also, Perkins on Criminal Law 217 (2d ed. 1969). Therefore, intoxication may not be shown to negative any elements of arson.
However, specific intent to kill is a necessary constituent of the elements of premeditation and deliberation in first degree murder, and a showing of legal intoxication to the jury's satisfaction will mitigate the offense to murder in the second degree. State v. Bunn, supra; State v. Wilson, 280 N.C. 674, 187 S.E.2d 22 (1972); State v. Propst, supra; State v. Cureton, supra.
As stated by Justice Barnhill, later Chief Justice, in State v. Cureton, supra:
And, as we said in State v. Shelton, 164 N.C. 513, 79 S.E. 883 (1913):
In the absence of evidence of intoxication to a degree precluding the ability to form a specific intent to kill, the court is not required to charge the jury thereupon. State v. Cureton, supra. The question in this case is whether there was evidence that defendant was intoxicated to the extent that his ability to form such specific intent was overthrown, thus necessitating an instruction on intoxication by the trial judge. We think not.
There was ample evidence that defendant had been drinking on the night in question.
Lewbertha Jones testified:
Tony Wright testified:
Daisy Blue testified:
Kenneth Bullard testified:
Hubert Stone testified that defendant stated to him:
None of the foregoing is evidence that defendant's mind was so intoxicated and his reason so overthrown that defendant could not form a specific intent to kill. At no time did defendant say he was so drunk he didn't know what he was doing. To the contrary, he recited in detail his actions on this occasion.
Defendant contends, however, that State v. Propst, supra, is authority for his position that the trial judge was required to instruct *246 on intoxication in this case. In Propst, however, defendant had been medically diagnosed as paranoid, had previously been medically determined to be unable to understand the charges against him, and had been committed to Dorothea Dix Hospital for treatment. Further, defendant in that case had drunk an entire fifth of whiskey shortly before the murder, "had really been tore up with a bad case of the nerves the past several days," "had been complaining with his head," had delusions about being persecuted, and, according to expert testimony, had lost contact with reality.
We find no such evidence of defendant's inability to form a specific intent to kill in this case.
This assignment is overruled.
Defendant next assigns as error the court's failure to arrest judgment in the arson charge in that the arson charge was embraced and made a part of the five charges of murder in the first degree. We believe there is merit to this contention.
In State v. Moore, supra, the indictment, drawn under G.S. § 15-144, charged defendant with killing with malice, premeditation and deliberation. Defendant was also charged with armed robbery. The evidence against him on the murder charge disclosed a killing in the perpetration of robbery. The trial court had charged that a verdict of first degree murder could be rendered upon a finding beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was done in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate a robbery. The jury found the defendant guilty of both murder and armed robbery. On appeal, this Court vacated the armed robbery conviction on the basis that it had been merged into the murder conviction.
In State v. Thompson, supra, 280 N.C. at 215-16, 185 S.E.2d  at 675, involving convictions for felonious breaking and first degree murder, Chief Justice Bobbitt formulated the following succinct statement of the merger rule:
See also, State v. Carroll, 282 N.C. 326, 193 S.E.2d 85 (1972); State v. Peele, 281 N.C. 253, 188 S.E.2d 326 (1972).
The trial judge in the present case charged the jury to return a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree if the State satisfied them beyond a reasonable doubt that the killings were done with premeditation and deliberation or in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of the felony of arson. We do not know, of course, which of the two theories the jury chose in finding defendant guilty of murder *247 in the first degree. Undoubtedly, however, the jury considered the overwhelming evidence that the murders were committed in the perpetration of arson. Accordingly, since the arson was an essential and indispensable element in the State's proof of murder committed in the perpetration of the felony of arson, it affords no basis for additional punishment. This assignment is sustained, and the judgment in the arson case is arrested.
Since we arrest judgment in the arson case, it is not necessary to determine whether the 1973 amendment to G.S. § 14-58, changing the punishment for arson from death to life imprisonment, applies to this case.
Defendant finally contends that his constitutional and statutory rights were violated by the imposition of the death penalty. The defendant's contentions with respect to the validity of the death sentence have been carefully considered and found to be without merit by this Court in a number of recent decisions. State v. Noell, 284 N.C. 670, 202 S.E.2d 750 (1974); State v. Jarrette, 284 N.C. 625, 202 S.E.2d 721 (1974); State v. Waddell, 282 N.C. 431, 194 S.E.2d 19 (1973). No useful purpose would be served by further discussion here. This assignment is overruled.
In view of the seriousness of the charge and gravity of the punishment imposed, we have carefully examined each of defendant's assignments of error. In the trial, verdicts and judgments, we find no errors except in the judgment in the arson case which we vacate.
As to the murder charges: No error.
As to the arson charge: Judgment arrested.
SHARP, Chief Justice (dissenting as to the death penalty).
The murders for which defendant was convicted occurred on 16 December 1973, a date between 18 January 1973, the day of the decision in State v. Waddell, 282 N.C. 431, 194 S.E.2d 19, and 8 April 1974, the day on which the General Assembly rewrote G.S. § 14-17 by the enactment of Chapter 1201 of the Session Laws of 1973. For the reasons stated by Chief Justice Bobbitt in his dissenting opinion in State v. Jarrette, 284 N.C. 625, 666, 202 S.E.2d 721, 747 (1974)an opinion in which Justice Higgins and I joinedI dissent as to the death sentence imposed upon defendant by the court below and vote to remand for the imposition of a sentence of life imprisonment. See also the dissenting opinion of Chief Justice Bobbitt, and my concurrence therein, in State v. Waddell, supra, 282 N.C. at 453 and 476, 194 S.E.2d  at 30 and 47.
COPELAND, Justice dissents as to death sentence and votes to remand for imposition of a sentence of life imprisonment for the reasons stated in his dissenting opinion in State v. Williams, 286 N.C. 422, 212 S.E.2d 113.
EXUM, Justice dissents from that portion of the majority opinion which affirms the death sentence and votes to remand this case in order that a sentence of life imprisonment can be imposed for the reasons stated in his dissenting opinion in State v. Williams, 286 N.C. 422, 212 S.E.2d 113 (1975), other than those relating to the effect of Section 8 of Chapter 1201 of the 1973 Session Laws.