Vaughan v. Commonwealth
Supreme Court of Virginia
Argued at Wytheville. Decided at Richmond. Error to judgment of judge of circuit court of Grayson county denying, on 18th of August, 1888, a writ of error to judgment of county court of said county, rendered 7th August, 1888, whereby Samuel Vaughan was sentenced to the penitentiary for three years upon a verdict of guilty of voluntary manslaughter on an indictment for the murder of Jeff.
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Argued at Wytheville. Decided at Richmond. Error to judgment of judge of circuit court of Grayson county denying, on 18th of August, 1888, a writ of error to judgment of county court of said county, rendered 7th August, 1888, whereby Samuel Vaughan was sentenced to the penitentiary for three years upon a verdict of guilty of voluntary manslaughter on an indictment for the murder of Jeff. Rives: The hill of exceptions recites that at the trial, the Commonwealth, to maintain the issue on her part, proved that the deceased was stabbed on the night of the 7th of February, 1888, which caused his…
1Opinion of the Court
Lewis, P.,
delivered the opinion of the court.
A brief reference to a few elementary principles will show that the prisoner’s exception is well taken. In criminal cases, evidence of the particular motives by which the accused was influenced is always admissible, in order that the jury may infer what his conduct was under those circumstances; and, on the other hand, juries are frequently called upon to infer what a man’s motives were from his conduct and his acts. This is because of the natural connection between a man’s conduct and his motives, of which every man is presumed to possess a…
2Cases cited2 opinions
- Finchim v. CommonwealthSupreme Court of Virginia · 1887
- Hatchett v. CommonwealthSupreme Court of Virginia · 1882
3Cited by12 opinions
- State v. VanellaMontana Supreme Court · 1910
- Oliver v. CommonwealthSupreme Court of Virginia · 1928
- Muscoe v. CommonwealthSupreme Court of Virginia · 1890
- Peoples v. CommonwealthSupreme Court of Virginia · 1927
- State v. CremeansWest Virginia Supreme Court · 1907
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