Opinion

People v. Brown

  • 27 Cal. 500
Court
California Supreme Court
Filed
Jul 1, 1865
Status
Published
Author
Sanderson
On the bench
Sanderson
Cited by
4 cases
Authority
More cited than 85.5%

The opinion

By the Court, Sanderson, C. J.

The demurrer to the indictment was properly overruled. The charging part is in the following words: “Did feloniously, wilfully and unlawfully, and with force and arms, steal, take, carry, lead and drive away,” etc., which is not only a sufficient statement of the intent with which the taking was done, under our statute, but also at common law. (People v. Vance, 21 Cal. 403 ; Wharton’s Precedents, 190.)

We cannot reverse the judgment on the ground that the verdict is contrary to the evidence. Disregarding the testimony offered by the defendant for the purpose of proving an alibi (which the jury manifestly did not believe), we are not prepared to say that the evidence does not sustain the verdict. In The People v. Ah Loy, 10 Cal. 301 , the Court said: “ It *502 requires a clear case—one in which there is an absence of evidence against the prisoner, or a decided preponderance of evidence in his favor—to justify an interference with the verdict of the jury.” We think this is one of those cases in which the verdict, whether guilty or not guilty, ought not to he disturbed by this Court. The Court below refused a new trial, and that Court could better judge of the weight of the evidence.

Judgment affirmed.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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