Court Opinion

ID: 9739023
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:07:23.326094+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:06.949420
License: Public Domain

*606Dissenting Opinion
DeBruler, J.
I dissent from the majority holding that aggravated assault and battery is a lesser included offense of the crime of assault and battery with intent to kill as charged in this case. In defining a lesser included offense the majority, citing Watford v. State (1957), 287 Ind. 10, 143 N. E. 2d 405, says, “. . . to be an included offense the lesser offense must be such that it is impossible to commit the greater without having first committed the lesser . . .”
The two statutes read as follows:
“10-401a. Assault or assault and battery with intent to kill. — Whoever with intent to kill another human being perpetrates an assault or assault and battery upon the other human being, shall upon conviction be imprisoned in the state prison for not less than two (2) nor more than fourteen (14) years.”
“10-410. Aggravated assault and battery. Penalty,— Whoever intentionally or knowingly and unlawfully inflicts great bodily harm or disfigurement upon another person is guilty of aggravated assault and battery and upon conviction shall be imprisoned in the state prison for not less than one (1) year nor more than five (5) years, to which may be added a fine in any amount not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).”
Whether one offense is a lesser included offense of the crime charged is to be determined by applying the Watford test to the specific charge in the case. The charge in this case reads:
“Gilbert Lengelsen being duly sworn upon his oath says that JOHN LOGAN THOMAS on or about the 29th day of January A.D., 1969, at said County and State as affiant verily believes did then and there unlawfully and feloniously and in a rude, insolent and angry manner, shoot and wound, with a certain 38 caliber revolver then and there loaded with gunpowder and a slug, DOROTHY THOMAS in the back, with felonious intent then and thereby to kill and murder the said DOROTHY THOMAS, a human being.” (Emphasis added).
*607The maj ority then holds:
“It is inconceivable that a person could commit an assault and battery with intent to kill another person as charged in this case without also intentionally and knowingly inflicting great bodily harm or disfiguring the assaulted person.”
I disagree. One of the elements of aggravated assault and battery is that the defendant actually inflicted great bodily harm or disfigurement on the victim. The affidavit in this case merely alleges that appellant shot and inflicted a wound in the back of the victim. The affidavit does not allege the wound was serious or constituted great bodily harm or disfigurement. A “wound” could consist of a minor breaking of the skin, Websters New International Dictionary (2nd Ed.); Black’s Law Dictionary (4th Ed.), and it is not synonymous with “great bodily harm or disfigurement.” In Froedge v. State (1968), 249 Ind. 438, 233 N. E. 2d 631, Judge Hunter, writing for the court, defined the latter phrase as follows:
“Great bodily harm defines itself and means great as distinguished from slight, trivial, minor or moderate harm, and as such does not include mere bruises as are likely to be inflicted in a simple assault and battery under Ind. Ann. Stat., § 10-403 (Supp. 1967).”
It seems clear that a person could shoot and wound another in the back inflicting only a slight wound. Therefore it is easily conceivable that a person could commit an assault and battery with intent to kill as charged in this case without also inflicting great bodily harm or disfigurement. Since it is possible on this affidavit to have the facts which would warrant a conviction for assault and battery with intent to kill but not a conviction for aggravated assault and battery, the majority opinion is in error under its own definition.
I concede that a different result would be reached were we to look to the evidence actually introduced at the trial. How*608ever the majority opinion does not adopt such a test and I believe rightly so.
Jackson, J., concurs.
Note. — Reported in 261 N. E. 2d 588.