Opinion ID: 1768636
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: Mrs. Nicholson argues that the time Mr. Nicholson ingested the poisons was not definitely established, thus there is no evidence that the alleged murder took place in Searcy County. Article 2, Section 10, of the Constitution of Arkansas states, in part: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by impartial jury of the county in which the crime shall have been committed.... Arkansas Code Ann. § 16-88-108(c) (1987) provides: Where the offense is committed partly in one county and partly in another, or the acts or effects thereof, requisite to the consummation of the offense occur in two (2) or more counties, the jurisdiction is in either county. The only evidence Mrs. Nicholson cites to support her argument is the testimony of Dr. Timothy Hayne, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Mr. Nicholson. She argues that Dr. Hayne testified that ingestion of the lethal chemicals occurred near twenty four hours prior to death, and that the Nicholsons were at the motel for only twelve hours. Based on that evidence, she contends the ingestion of the ethylene glycol and tolbutamide must have occurred before the couple reached Searcy County. Dr. Hayne's testimony was that Mr. Nicholson ingested the chemicals within twenty-four hours or less of his death, and not that it was at least twenty-four hours before, as Mrs. Nicholson suggests. Dr. Hayne testified that ethylene glycol is processed by the body in at least three stages, and that each stage indicates the approximate time the substance has been in the person's system. Mr. Nicholson had not reached the elimination phase or final stage which would have occurred at least one day after ingestion. From this finding, Dr. Hayne was able to testify with reasonable certainty that Mr. Nicholson had ingested the chemicals within twenty-four hours of his death. In addition, he testified that death could occur at any of the three stages of ingestion of ethylene glycol, and that the effects of this substance are enhanced somewhat by the presence of tolbutamide. The State need not prove jurisdiction unless evidence is admitted that affirmatively shows that the court lacks jurisdiction. Ark.Code Ann. § 5-1-111(b) (Repl.1993). Before the State is called upon to offer any evidence of jurisdiction, there must be positive evidence that the offense occurred outside the jurisdiction of the court. Dix v. State, 290 Ark. 28, 715 S.W.2d 879 (1986); Gardner v. State, 263 Ark. 739, 569 S.W.2d 74 (1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 911, 99 S.Ct. 1224, 59 L.Ed.2d 460 (1979). No such positive evidence was presented.