Richardson v. State

Citations

• 123 Miss. 232
• 85 So. 184

Syllabus

<p>1. Homicide. Evidence of deceased’s good reputation inadmissible, where not attacked.</p> <p>Upon the trial of one indicted for murder, evidence of the general good reputation of the deceased is incompetent, when the defendant had made no attack of any kind upon deceased’s character.</p> <p>2. Criminal Law. Defendant’s statement that accused tried to kill him held self-serving.</p> <p>A statement by the accused to his wife a'few minutes after the fatal shots were fired that, “Sheppard tried to kill me, and I shot him, is a self-serving declaration, and inadmissible. ( ■</p> <p>3. Homicide. Words of reproach will not reduce murder to manslaughter.</p> <p>No mere words of reproach, however grievous or provoking, unaccompanied by any assault or mutual combat, are sufficient provocation to reduce an intentional and unjustifiable homicide from murder to manslaughter.</p>