Legal Opinion · Dissent

State v. McIntyre

Washington Supreme Court

Decided May 14, 1909No. 7835Published

Appeal from a judgment of the superior court for Walla Walla county, Brents, J., entered May 18,1908, upon a trial and conviction of the crime of horse stealing.

1DissentRudkin, C. J.

(dissenting)- — -I dissent. It is only the unexplained possession of recently stolen property that gives rise to a presumption of guilt, and when the possession is fully explained and accounted for by the prosecution, as in this case, there is nothing upon which the presumption or inference may rest. The instruction complained of was wholly inapplicable to the facts before the jury and would naturally tend to prejudice the rights of the accused. Heed v. State, 25 Wis. 421; State v. Spencer, 4 Penn. (Del.) 92, 53 Atl. 337.

2Cases cited2 opinions

  1. Heed v. StateWisconsin Supreme Court · 1870
  2. State v. SpencerNew York Court of General Session of the Peace · 1902