Court Opinion

ID: 9605347
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:34:43.223691+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:59:49.108628
License: Public Domain

Hill, Justice,
concurring.
In 1879, this court held that it was reversible error for the trial judge to charge the jury on the law as to confessions (now Code Ann. § 38-420) where the defendant had made only an incriminating admission which did not amount to a confession. Dumas v. State, 63 Ga. 600 (1879).
In the hundred years since Dumas, this court has been called upon to decide whether or not the defendant made a confession or merely an incriminating admission in over 50 opinions (see appendix), over one-third of which resulted in the granting of new trials. In the case before us, we have the question again.
The half-a-hundred cases referred to above do not include decisions of the Court of Appeals. If Court of Appeals decisions were included, the list undoubtedly would exceed 100 cases. This issue reached the Court of Appeals last year in Secrist v. State, 145 Ga. App. 391 (243 SE2d 599) (1978). In that case that court was unable to agree on whether the defendant’s statement constituted a confession or simply an incriminating admission.
It would appear that a problem which arises this frequently would be capable of solution.
The Superior Court Judges’ Charge Manual affords no help to the trial judges. The forms made available to the judges (Superior Court Judges’. Charge Manual for use in Criminal Cases, pp. 61-64) require the trial judge to choose between using the word "statement” or "confession.” However, having made that decision, the judge charges the jury the exact same thing in both instances. The only difference is in choosing the descriptive word "confession” or "statement.” This decision as to the label to be used has resulted in 100 *825appellate decisions in as many years.
If the trial judges would avoid use of the word "confession” in questionable cases and instead use the word "admission” in each instance where they might otherwise use the word "confession” or "statement,” this entire problem would vanish.
Appendix
Dumas v. State, 63 Ga. 600 (1879); Jones v. State, 65 Ga. 147 (1880); Covington v. State, 79 Ga. 687 (7 SE 153) (1887); Fletcher v. State, 90 Ga. 468 (17 SE 100) (1892); Nightengale v. State, 94 Ga. 395 (21 SE 221) (1893); Powell v. State, 101 Ga. 9 (29 SE 309) (1897); Lee v. State, 102 Ga. 221 (29 SE 264) (1897); Suddeth v. State, 112 Ga. 407 (37 SE 747) (1900); Davis v. State, 114 Ga. 104 (39 SE 906) (1901); Cleveland v. State, 114 Ga. 110 (1) (39 SE 941) (1901); Smith v. State, 115 Ga. 586 (41 SE 984) (1902); Simmons v. State, 116 Ga. 583 (42 SE 779) (1902); Owens v. State, 120 Ga. 296 (48 SE 21) (1904); Jones v. State, 130 Ga. 274 (60 SE 840) (1908); Weaver v. State, 135 Ga. 317 (69 SE 488) (1910); Roberson v. State, 135 Ga. 654 (1) (70 SE 175) (1910); Jones v. State, 139 Ga. 104 (3) (76 SE 748) (1912); Thomas v. State, 143 Ga. 268 (84 SE 587) (1915); Lucas v. State, 146 Ga. 315 (9) (91 SE 72) (1916); Thompson v. State, 147 Ga. 745 (95 SE 292) (1918); Benjamin v. State, 150 Ga. 78 (1) (102 SE 427) (1919); Harris v. State, 152 Ga. 193 (108 SE 777) (1921); Green v. State, 154 Ga. 394 (1) (114 SE 361) (1922); West v. State, 155 Ga. 482 (117 SE 380) (1923); Owens v. State, 156 Ga. 835 (120 SE 413) (1923); Shellman v. State, 157 Ga. 788 (122 SE 205) (1924); Minter v. State, 158 Ga. 127 (123 SE 23) (1924); Edwards v. State, 159 Ga. 419 (126 SE 16) (1924); King v. State, 163 Ga. 313 (136 SE 154) (1926); Rawlings v. State, 163 Ga. 406 (136 SE 448) (1926); Tanner v. State, 164 Ga. 490 (139 SE 5) (1927); Clarke v. State, 165 Ga. 326 (140 SE 889) (1927); McCloud v. State, 166 Ga. 436 (143 SE 558) (1928); Brown v. State, 168 Ga. 282 (147 SE 519) (1929); Powers v. State, 172 Ga. 1 (157 SE 195) (1930); Wright v. State, 186 Ga. 863 (1) (199 SE 209) (1938); Allen v. State, 187 Ga. 178 (3) (200 SE 109) (1938); Daniel v. State, 187 Ga. 411 *826(1 SE2d 6) (1939); Sheffield v. State, 188 Ga. 1 (2 SE2d 657) (1939); Coates v. State, 192 Ga. 130 (15 SE2d 240) (1941); Pressley v. State, 201 Ga. 267 (39 SE2d 478) (1946) ; Montgomery v. State, 202 Ga. 678 (44 SE2d 242) (1947); Johnson v. State, 204 Ga. 528 (50 SE2d 334) (1948); Hobbs v. State, 206 Ga. 94 (55 SE2d 610) (1949); Harris v. State, 207 Ga. 287 (61 SE2d 135) (1950); Patrick v. State, 209 Ga. 645 (74 SE2d 848) (1953); Green v. State, 210 Ga. 745 (82 SE2d 703) (1954); Fields v. State, 211 Ga. 335 (85 SE2d 753) (1955); Weatherby v. State, 213 Ga. 188 (2) (97 SE2d 698) (1957); Edwards v. State, 213 Ga. 552 (100 SE2d 172) (1957); Bloodworth v. State, 216 Ga. 572 (118 SE2d 374) (1961); Jackson v. State, 225 Ga. 553 (170 SE2d 281) (1969); Robinson v. State, 232 Ga. 123 (205 SE2d 210) (1974); Bonds v. State, 232 Ga. 694 (208 SE2d 561) (1974); Davis v. State, 234 Ga. 730 (218 SE2d 20) (1975) ; Birks v. State, 237 Ga. 861 (230 SE2d 294) (1976); Gaines v. State, 239 Ga. 98, 100 (236 SE2d 55) (1977) .