Goforth v. State
Supreme Court of Alabama
Appeal from Gadsden City Court. Wiley Goforth was convicted of murder, and he appeals. The letter referred to in the opinion was dated Birmingham, Ala., August 22, 1911, addressed to Mrs. Zella Cohelia, Altoona, Ala. Dear Friend: I am somewhat surprised at not seeing or hearing from you. I think it is time for you to get busy. You know I have told you how to do.
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Appeal from Gadsden City Court. Wiley Goforth was convicted of murder, and he appeals. The letter referred to in the opinion was dated Birmingham, Ala., August 22, 1911, addressed to Mrs. Zella Cohelia, Altoona, Ala. Dear Friend: I am somewhat surprised at not seeing or hearing from you. I think it is time for you to get busy. You know I have told you how to do. What do you know, anything of value? Listen, keep me posted about everything, and when you are in Birmingham, be sure and come around and see me. I might be able to tell you something. Mr. Judge told me he had one letter from you and…
1Opinion of the Court
de GRAFFENRIED, J.
— In a' criminal prosecution the state may always offer the flight of the defendant from the neighborhood of the crime as some evidence— a circumstance — tending to show the guilt of the defendant.
When a crime has been committed, and the state offers evidence tending to show that the defendant absented himself from the community in which the crime was committed, the value of this fact of flight depends entirely upon the purpose of the defendant in thus absenting himself from the community. The question as to why the defendant left the community and remained away from it…
2Cases cited2 opinions
- Allen v. StateSupreme Court of Alabama · 1906
- United States v. CandlerDistrict Court, W.D. North Carolina · 1894
3Cited by26 opinions
- State v. WilsonWashington Supreme Court · 1951
- Green v. StateSupreme Court of Alabama · 1953
- Hill v. StateSupreme Court of Alabama · 1915
- Ex Parte LoweSupreme Court of Alabama · 1987
- Douglas v. StateAlabama Court of Appeals · 1963
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