Court Opinion

ID: 9883287
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 01:39:37.474513+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:22.374622
License: Public Domain

SHINN, P. J.
I dissent.
Elementary principles of law as applied to facts that were conclusively established made it the duty of the trial court to acquit the defendant of attempted murder and all included offenses.
The guiding principle is that a judgment in a criminal case conclusively implies the existence of facts necessary to the rendition of the judgment and the nonexistence of facts that would have prevented its rendition. They cannot be relitigated between the parties. (Sealfon v. United States, 332 U.S. 575 [68 S.Ct. 237, 92 L.Ed. 180] ; Harris v. State, 193 Ga. 109 [17 S.E.2d 573, 147 A.L.R. 980]; United States v. DeAngelo (3d Circuit), 138 F.2d 466; Yawn v. United States, (5th Circuit), 244 F.2d 235; Vaughn v. State, 83 Ga.App. 124 [62 S.E.2d 573]; United States v. Simon (3d Circuit), 225 F.2d 260.)
Defendant was charged with assault with intent to commit murder. The prosecutrix testified that he shoved her to the floor, sat upon her, held her nose closed to compel her to breathe through her mouth and forced her to swallow a potentially fatal quantity of nembutal tablets.
The elements of the offense were (a) forcing the prosecutrix to swallow the pills and (b) an intent to take her life. The judgment of acquittal of attempted murder conclusively implies either that defendant did not force the pills upon the prosecutrix or that he did so but had no intention of taking her life.
First as to the possibility that he committed the act but without criminal intent. It would be absurd to give that interpretation to the acquittal, and no one has suggested it. The judgment of conviction of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury conclusively implies that the court found that defendant was not merely being playful, but that he intended to harm the prosecutrix. Whether right or wrong that was the court’s finding. Therefore the inescapable inference is that defendant did not force the prosecutrix to swallow the pills; ergo, she swallowed them voluntarily.
The majority opinion gives no consideration to the im*488plications of the judgment of acquittal other than to say that it does not “necessarily” mean that the court did not believe that defendant did force the prosecutrix to swallow the pills. What, then, does the judgment mean to the majority f The answer is, nothing.
It is argued that when the court expressed doubt that defendant forced the pills upon the prosecutrix the court meant something else. But the court thereupon acquitted the defendant of attempted murder and what the court meant by what it said is shown beyond doubt by what it did.
If, as appears to be the case, the majority opinion means that the court found that defendant forced the prosecutrix to swallow the pills, it is clearly in error. It develops that theory from statements of the court, and in so doing violates the invariable rule that implications of a judgment cannot be impeached by remarks made by the court; in the second place if defendant forced the pills upon the prosecutrix the court would have been compelled to find him guilty of attempted murder; and in the third place the judgment conclusively implies that defendant did not force the prosecutrix to swallow the pills.
But, says the majority opinion, the court said that it believed, in any event, that defendant choked the prosecutrix in attempting to make her swallow the pills, and the opinion argues that choking could constitute assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, which no one has questioned.
This “choking” theory defies explanation. It is purely imaginary. To begin with, there was not one shred of evidence of choking; again, the majority opinion asserts that the “choking” took place while defendant was sitting upon prosecutrix and forcing the pills upon her, and the evidence set out in the opinion clearly shows that there could have been no choking unless it was in forcing the prosecutrix to swallow the pills; and yet again, if there had been choking it would have been the duty of the court to convict defendant of attempted murder. There being no evidence of choking, the majority opinion simply takes a statement of the trial court and gives it controlling effect over the legal implications of the judgment.
In order to find a basis for affirmance of the judgment the majority opinion develops the theory that the defendant was found guilty of acts constituting attempted murder and yet was arbitrarily acquitted of that offense. It is true that in *489the probation hearing the court stated that it believed that defendant choked the prosecutrix in attempting to force her to swallow the pills, but reliance by this court upon what the trial court said at one time or another in disregard of the implications of its judicial acts develops the unsound hypothesis that the defendant sat upon the prosecutrix, choked her, fed her pills, but did not force her to swallow them. It appears that the statements relied upon overlooked the fact that she did swallow the pills.
The theory that what the court said overcomes the legal consequences of its judgment is logically and legally untenable. The trial court could not have been guilty of such a breach of judicial duty as to find facts establishing defendant’s guilt and then acquit him. This court should pay no attention whatever to the remarks of the trial court and consider only what the court did.
The judgment of acquittal of attempted murder conclusively implies that defendant did not force the prosecutrix to swallow the pills or choke her in the attempt; and there was no evidence whatever of the use of force in any other manner.
The trial court could not go behind the facts that were established by its own judgment. It could not compromise with those facts and find defendant guilty of a lesser offense upon the supposed existence of facts it had adjudged to be nonexistent. But this is what it attempted to do.
It gives me real concern to see a judgment affirmed upon the basis of random remarks of a trial court while the contrary implications of the court’s judicial acts are disregarded. The rule that the implications and consequences of a judgment cannot be impeached in this manner is, as I say, invariable. To depart from it is to invite endless confusion and error.
When the court acquitted the defendant of attempted murder it determined (and I must say with good reason) that the prosecutrix swallowed the pills voluntarily. That put an end to the prosecution. The ex gratia conviction of the lesser offense came after the court had divested itself of jurisdiction to act except by rendering a judgment of acquittal.
I would reverse the judgment with instructions to dismiss the cause.