Court Opinion

ID: 9648450
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:21:21.642309+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:01.004571
License: Public Domain

HOLMAN, Presiding Judge
(dissenting)-
I respectfully dissent because I do not believe the court erred in refusing Instruction B. As stated in the principal opinion, it is not error to refuse a converse if the given instructions fully and fairly cover the same subject matter.
Portions of State’s Instruction No. 1 stated that “you are instructed that if, upon consideration of all the evidence in this case * * * you believe and find from the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that on the 6th day of November 1970, * * * the defendant Cornelius Dodson * * * did rob, steal, take and carry away * * * the property of Harry Hoock * * * by then and there putting the said Harry Hoock in fear of an immediate injury to his person * * * then you will find the defendant Cornelius Dodson guilty of robbery in the first degree by means of a dangerous and deadly weapon; and if you do not find each and all of the facts submitted to you for your finding as set forth in this instruction, then you will find the defendant Cornelius Dodson not guilty of robbery in the first degree by means of a dangerous and deadly weapon.”
Refused Instruction B reads as follows: “The court instructs the jury that if, after considering all of the evidence in this case, you do not find and believe beyond a reasonable doubt that Cornelius Dodson is the person who robbed Harry Hoock on November 6, 1970, then you cannot convict the defendant and it is your duty to acquit Cornelius Dodson.” It seems to me that Instruction B adds nothing to the subject matter conversed in No. 1. In Instruction No. 2 the court told the jury that “If, upon consideration of all the evidence, you have a reasonable doubt of the defendant’s guilt, you should acquit.” Also, Instruction No. 3 stated that “the court instructs the jury that if there is any evidence before you that raises in your minds a reasonable doubt as to the presence of the defendant at the time and place where the crime is charged to have been committed, if you find a crime was committed, you will acquit the defendant.”
It is my view that the holding in State v. Engberg, Mo.Sup., 377 S.W.2d 282, is sufficient authority for ruling that the court did not err in refusing the converse instruction. When the three instructions quoted above are considered together it would seem that the subject matter in B is fully and fairly covered.
Defendant relies on State v. Murphy, Mo.Sup., 415 S.W.2d 758, and State v. Fraley, 342 Mo. 442, 116 S.W.2d 17, in support of his contention. The case at bar is distinguishable from Fraley because of the difference in the wording of the converse near the end of the main instruction, and because no alibi instruction was given in Fraley; Murphy is distinguishable because of the differences in the factual setting of the two cases. In Murphy, the court said that the alibi instruction did not dispense with the necessity of giving a converse because “the jury could have believed appellant was present in the store, and nevertheless have believed she did not commit the offense.” 415 S.W.2d 1. c. 760. That reasoning would not apply in the instant case. It is common knowledge that many people are present in a large city store each day, while it is very unlikely that this defendant would just happen to be an innocent bystander at the Hoock car on a parking lot at the time of this robbery.
As indicated, I would affirm the judgment.