Court Opinion

ID: 9844304
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:00:38.585075+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:32.324536
License: Public Domain

Nichols, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.  Under the decision of the Supreme Court in Downs v. State, 175 Ga. 439 (165 SE 112), and of this court in Frazier v. State, 88 Ga. App. 82 (76 SE2d 70), the charge on justifiable homicide in defense of habitation should have been given even in the absence of any request. While it is true that the court charged generally on justifiable homicide (Code § 26-1011), as pointed out in the Downs and Frazier cases, supra, such charge is not sufficient where the defense is based on justifiable homicide under con*266ditions bringing it within Code § 26-1013 dealing with defense of habitation.
The majority opinion holds that the defendant did not attempt to use persuasion, remonstrance or other gentle means to seek to persuade the deceased to leave her room and at the same time quotes from her statement the following which shows that she did attempt to use such persuasion and gentle means to get the deceased to leave her room': “I figured if I could get him out of the room without any trouble, that would be the best way. So I said to him: ‘Lee, please go on and leave me alone. Don’t start no more trouble.’ ” It was only after this occurred and the deceased struck the defendant that she fired the gun.
The charge requested by the defendant defining “habitation” was upon a subject raised by the defense and when considered with the charge which should have been given on defense of habitation was not imperfect and did not require any inference not required to be charged even without request.