Opinion ID: 1918928
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the charges and the state's bill of particulars

Text: The State's charge of manslaughter against Irene Pickles was based primarily on two theories: (1) On or about October 4, 1962 she placed her four-year-old son Michael in hot water for the purpose of punishing him without intending to cause his death, but that her act in placing him in the hot water was reckless and wanton and with utter disregard of circumstances likely to produce his death; (2) after placing the child in the hot water, she knew that he had suffered severe burns therefrom over about a third of his body, and knowing that such burns presented a high degree of probability of serious harm and being under a duty as a parent to provide care for the child, in reckless indifference to the consequences she failed to obtain timely medical attention for him, as the result of which he died on October 12, 1962. The neglect count of the indictment against Irene Pickles and Calvin Pickles was based primarily on the State's position that after the child was burned seriously on or about October 4, 1962, they were criminally neglectful of their duty as parents to obtain proper and competent medical treatment for him. However, the charge was designed to encompass alleged acts of neglect by them separate and distinct from, but in addition to, the allegation of neglect based on the failure to obtain medical treatment for the child. The indictment, as noted above, charged that on divers dates between September 1, 1962 (a month and four days prior to the alleged bath) and October 9, 1962, defendant-parents treated their son Michael in a cruel, violent and unlawful fashion, contrary to N.J.S.A. 9:6-3. The statute makes it a misdemeanor for any parent having the care, custody or control of any child, to abuse, abandon, be cruel to or neglectful of such child. The defense requested particulars as to the alleged acts of neglect and the dates thereof. The assistant prosecutor furnished particulars in letter form, which he agreed in open court to be bound by just as if they were submitted in the fashion of a formal bill of particulars. The specification of the acts of neglect (except for Mrs. Pickles' alleged act in causing the burns and for the failure of both defendants to procure medical attention) was: The defendant Calvin Pickles, on at least several occasions, knowingly left his son, Michael, at his home, only in the company of Michael's infant brothers, Thomas and Robert. The children including Michael often begged neighbors for food, and they were often refused use of the bathroom in the house; consequently they wet their pants, all to the knowledge of Calvin Pickles. Precisely the same specification was made against Irene Pickles. Defendants' request for the dates of alleged commission of these acts of neglect obviously called for dates within the period set forth in the indictment, i.e. September 1, 1962 to October 9, 1962, the date on which the parents first sought treatment by a physician for their son. For some reason the State answered: These acts were committed by the above named defendants at diverse dates between January 1961 and mid October 1962, at or in the vicinity of the home of the defendants, 34 Adelphia Road, South Toms River, New Jersey. (Emphasis added) We have emphasized the January 1961 date because of some serious difficulty which arose in connection with the State's introduction of rebuttal testimony. No explanation was furnished as to why events prior to September 1, 1962 were referred to in the bill of particulars. The State recognized clearly that proof of the crime charged would be limited to the period between September 1, 1962 and October 9, 1962. At the trial the assistant prosecutor during an argument concerning the dates recited in the bill of particulars said: This bill of particulars in no way can enlarge that indictment. At the opening of the trial defense counsel moved for a severance of the neglect counts from the manslaughter count and requested that the matter proceed on one or the other of the charges, but not on both at that time. He asserted that the evidence introduced on the neglect charge might be very prejudicial, particularly on the manslaughter charge against Mrs. Pickles. The argument is not very clear but the force of it seemed to be that the evidence supporting the statutory offense of neglect, if accepted by the jury, might well lead them to conclude, without adequate consideration of the more serious nature of the charge of manslaughter, that guilt of manslaughter ought to follow. The State justifiably argued that the motion was tardy. The trial court, however, heard the parties on the merits. The assistant prosecutor urged that the court could adequately protect against defendants' fears in its charge. He suggested that the court would charge specifically what the jury must find to convict of manslaughter, and what must be found to convict of neglect of the child. And he argued that although a severance was discretionary, it should not be ordered in this case. The motion was denied, the trial judge saying he recognized it as his basic obligation to define the two crimes for the jury in his charge, and that under the circumstances the situation did not call for a severance. The refusal to grant the severance is one of the grounds of appeal. It may be noted here, as of some pertinence, that during the defense attorney's opening to the jury a controversy arose about his criticism of the general nature of the neglect charge in the indictment. In the course of the discussion the court pointed out that the State had furnished a bill of particulars in letter form and conceded that it will restrict itself to the facts set up therein.