Court Opinion

ID: 9688158
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 17:36:10.214215+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:35.399787
License: Public Domain

Williams, J.
(concurring). My Brother J. W. Fitzgerald has ably pinpointed the error in the trial court’s failure to grant a juror’s request for clarification regarding the charge of manslaughter and instructions relating to self-defense. I concur fully with his opinion except for his conclusions *565relevant to the portion of the court’s "reasonable doubt” instruction as follows:
"In this charge I may say the People produced warrant conviction evidence which convinces you beyond a reasonable doubt.”
With my Brother J. W. Fitzgerald, I agree that in all likelihood this instruction represents misstatement by the trial judge or an error attributable to the court reporter. However, I do not believe that we are warranted, with so serious an error involved, in rewriting this instruction. Instead, it ought to have been remanded to the trial court to check its accuracy.
If an accurate transcription, I believe this misstatement, on . its own, presents grounds for reversal. See People v Clark, 340 Mich 411; 65 NW2d 717 (1954). However, a decision to remand or reverse on this point is unnecessary in light of the court’s disposition of this matter. Accordingly, I concur in my Brother J. W. Fitzgerald’s reversal and remand for new trial.