Opinion ID: 1107874
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: law i. was the verdict of the jury against the overwhelming weight of the evidence on the issue of white's sanity at the time of the crime and evidence bias, passion and prejudice?

Text: In Mississippi to establish the defense of insanity, it must be clearly proved that at the time of committing the act the party accused was laboring under such defect of reason from disease of mind as to not know the nature and quality of the act he was doing or, if he did know it, that he did not know it was wrong. See, United States v. McCracken, 488 F.2d 406 (5th Cir.1974); Edwards v. State, 441 So.2d 84 (Miss. 1983); Palmer v. State, 427 So.2d 111 (Miss. 1983). Stated more succinctly, the test for insanity is whether the defendant was unable to distinguish right from wrong at the time the act was committed. See, Porter v. State, 492 So.2d 970 (Miss. 1986); Frost v. State, 453 So.2d 695 (Miss. 1984); Moore v. State, 237 So.2d 844 (Miss. 1970); Harvey v. State, 207 So.2d 108 (Miss. 1968). There is a presumption that an accused is sane and, therefore, the burden is initially on the accused to introduce evidence creating a reasonable doubt as to his sanity at the time of the act. However, once the accused has overcome this initial burden, it is the burden of the State to present sufficient evidence to prove the accused's sanity beyond a reasonable doubt. See, Edwards, supra; Billiot v. State, 454 So.2d 445 (Miss. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1230, 105 S.Ct. 1232, 84 L.Ed.2d 369 (1985), reh. den., 470 U.S. 1089, 105 S.Ct. 1858, 85 L.Ed.2d 154 (1985); Myrick v. State, 290 So.2d 259 (Miss. 1974); Herron v. State, 287 So.2d 759 (Miss. 1974), cert. denied, 417 U.S. 972, 94 S.Ct. 3179, 41 L.Ed.2d 1144 (1974); McGarrh v. State, 249 Miss. 247, 148 So.2d 494 (1963), cert. denied, 375 U.S. 816, 84 S.Ct. 50, 11 L.Ed.2d 51 (1963); MCA § 99-13-7 (1972). The issue of insanity is for the jury to determine and such determination must be upheld on appeal unless against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. See, Yarbrough v. State, 528 So.2d 1130 (Miss. 1988); Hunter v. State, 489 So.2d 1086 (Miss. 1986); Gill v. State, 488 So.2d 801 (Miss. 1986); Gerlach v. State, 466 So.2d 75 (Miss. 1985); Brady v. State, 425 So.2d 1347 (Miss. 1983). Furthermore, juries are not bound by an expert's testimony and may accept or reject it in whole or in part. See, Brady, supra; Matthews v. State, 394 So.2d 304 (Miss. 1981). Consequently, there being ample evidence from which a jury could have determined White was not M'Naghten insane at the time of the offense, but instead understood the consequences of his actions, the verdict of the jury must be upheld.