Court Opinion

ID: 9932123
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-09 18:32:17.960789+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:47:23.517379
License: Public Domain

I vote to reverse the judgment because the indictment charged that petitioner, inter alia, "did intentially [sic] kill . . ." whereas the verdict found petitioner "guilty of Murder as charged in the indictment . . ." The jury was not charged on the elements of murder. I consider the oral charge which refers to murder and intentional killing as being synonymous, to have been confusing and erroneous.
Clements v. State, 370 So.2d 723 (Ala. 1979) is distinguishable because there the indictment and verdict were for first degree murder and the judge charged the jury on the elements of first degree murder.