Opinion ID: 2198338
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Instruction on Acquittal of the Guilty

Text: The defendant contends that the trial court erred in giving an instruction that included language that acquittal of the guilty arouses a contempt of the law among the criminal classes. He contends that the instruction impairs the presumption of innocence and the requirement that guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Instructions containing substantially similar language have been approved by this Court. Timmons v. State (1992), Ind., 584 N.E.2d 1108, 1113; Murray v. State (1982), Ind., 442 N.E.2d 1012, 1021; Pointon v. State (1980), 274 Ind. 44, 408 N.E.2d 1255, 1262. Because we are not persuaded that the instruction violated the guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment, we find no error on this issue.