Opinion ID: 1373065
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to Charge on Manslaughter

Text: Appellant argues that the trial court erred in failing to charge, in the absence of request, on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. These two enumerations of error are without merit for the reason that there is no evidence which would authorize instructions on those two offenses. See Sims v. State, 234 Ga. 177, 179 (3) (214 SE2d 902) (1975); and, Watson v. State, 235 Ga. 461, 466 (219 SE2d 763) (1975). Appellant's contentions would, likewise, be without merit under the recent decision of State v. Stonaker, 236 Ga. 1 (1976), which held that in the absence of a written request by the state or the accused, the failure of the trial court to charge on a lesser crime of that included in the indictment is not error. However, the four rules, which relate to charges in the area of lesser included crimes, established in that case will be applied only to cases tried after the date of the Stonaker decision.