Eaton v. State

1. The court charged the jury as follows: “The defendant is allowed to make to the court and jury just such statement in his own defense as he sees fit. His statement is not under oath, it is not subject to cross-examination, and you are authorized to give it such weight and credit as you think it is entitled to receive. The statement is not delivered under oath, and the defendant incurs no penalty if the statement is untrue. You may believe parts of the testimony and parts of the defendant’s statement, and you may believe the defendant’s statement in preference to the testimony, provided you…