Opinion ID: 1753213
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: the lower court erred in refusing to grant appellant's instruction # d-6 and in granting the state's instruction # s-1(c).

Text: Instruction # S-1(C), follows: James Donald Watson is charged with the crime of conspiracy. If the jury finds from the evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt that James Donald Watson conspired with Deborah Jean Wilder or William Eugene Pitts or Carl B. Thompson or Howard C. Rouse to cheat and defraud the First National Bank of Hernando and/or the owners of the credit cards in order to obtain money, then the jury shall find James Donald Watson guilty of conspiracy. If the State of Mississippi has failed to prove any one or more of these allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, then the jury shall find James Donald Watson not guilty. Appellant complains that the instruction apparently led the jury to convict the appellant on a faulty factual basis. Appellant argues that the instruction told the jury that they were to find the appellant guilty, if they found that the appellant conspired several one or more individuals including Deborah Jean Wilder, William Eugene Pitts or Carl B. Thompson. It is obvious that the appellant misreads Instruction # S-1(C). That instruction clearly refers to Wilder, Pitts, Thompson, or Howard C. Rouse. A conspiracy is established when the proof shows that two or more persons were involved. Instruction D-6 follows: The court instructs the jury for the defendant that the jury must not consider the fact that the defendant did not testify in this case as evidence against him nor does this fact arouse even a suspicion that he is guilty, but the State must prove him guilty beyond every reasonable doubt, and to a moral certainty; and if the State has not done this, then the jury must find the defendant not guilty. When requested, the defendant is entitled to an instruction to the effect that he did not testify was not to be considered as evidence against him. However, the court granted Instruction C-9, which substantially covers the absence of D-6. Instruction C-9 follows: The Court instructs the jury that the defendants at the outset of this trial are presumed to be innocent. They are not required to prove themselves innocent, or to put [on] any evidence at all upon the subject. In considering the testimony in the case, you must look at the testimony and view it in the light of that presumption which the law clothes the defendants with, that they are innocent; and it is a presumption that abides with them throughout the trial of the case until the evidence convinces each and every one of you to the contrary beyond a reasonable doubt of guilt. We are of the opinion that when all the instructions are read and considered together, the jury was adequately and properly instructed. Woolfolk v. Tucker, 485 So.2d 1039 (Miss. 1986); McKinnon v. Batte, 485 So.2d 295 (Miss. 1986); Byrd v. F-S Prestress, Inc., 464 So.2d 63 (Miss. 1985); Jackson v. Griffin, 390 So.2d 287 (Miss. 1980). The assigned error V is rejected.