Hammond v. State

CHARLES E. ORTH, Jr., Judge,

Specially Assigned.

I

One hundred and thirty-eight years ago the Maryland Legislature declared that it was a crime

[i]f any person ... shall assault and beat any person, with intent to maim, disfigure or disable such person____

Acts 1853, ch. 99, § 1, now codified as § 386, Article 27 of the Maryland Code (1957, 1987 Repl.Vol.). During all those years, the Legislature has never explicitly stated whether the specific intents required 1 must be to maim, disfigure, or disable permanently. In fact, the Legislature has addressed the statute only once during that period. As…