Court Opinion

ID: 9751313
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 16:20:43.853733+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:26:42.672382
License: Public Domain

EAGEN, Justice
(dissenting).
In Commonwealth v. Bose, 457 Pa. 380, 321 A.2d 880 (1974), this Court ruled that if in the trial of one charged with a willful, deliberate and premeditated murder, his mental capacity as influenced by the consumption of alcohol at the time of the killing is put in issue, then the trial court must instruct the jury to consider the evidence of his intoxication in determining if the Com*234monwealth established beyond a reasonable doubt the specific intent to kill necessary to support a finding of premeditated murder. With this principle of law, I do not quarrel. My position is it has no application in this case.
At no time during the trial of this case did Haywood, or any other witness, say he was intoxicated or say he was under the influence of intoxicants when he committed the robbery and killing for which he was on trial. But, says the opinion directing a new trial, the issue of Haywood’s mental capacity was introduced into the case by the Commonwealth’s evidentiary use of Haywood’s pretrial confession. I submit this is incorrect.
It is true that in his pretrial confession Haywood said he and his accomplices in the crimes drank “about four half a gallons” of wine shortly before the robbery. But, he did not say how much of the wine he drank personally, and in no part of the statement did he say he was intoxicated, disorientated or under the influence of the wine when he participated in the crimes. I, therefore, fail to see how Haywood’s mental capacity was “put in issue” by his confession. Also, it is fundamental that a trial judge is not required to give an instruction on issues not raised by the evidence. See Commonwealth v. Bighum, 452 Pa. 554, 307 A.2d 255 (1973).
Finally, I note with sadness that the opinion directing a new trial cites with approval the recent decision of a majority of this Court in Commonwealth v. Graves, 461 Pa. 118, 334 A.2d 661 (1975). My evaluation of that decision was stated in my dissenting opinion and need not be repeated here.
I dissent.
JONES, C. J., and O’BRIEN, J., join in this dissent.