People v. Watson
299 P.2d 243 · California Supreme Court · 1956
Facts
Defendant was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of his wife, Arlys Watson, on February 15, 1953, in their San Francisco apartment. The conviction rested on circumstantial evidence. Defendant appealed the conviction, raising four points as grounds for reversal.
Issue
The main issues on appeal were the refusal of an instruction requiring each essential fact in a chain of circumstantial evidence to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and the overruling of an objection to certain cross-examination of the defendant.
Holding
The judgment of conviction was affirmed, as the court concluded there was no prejudicial error resulting in a "miscarriage of justice."
Rule
A "miscarriage of justice" should be declared only when the court, "after an examination of the entire cause, including the evidence," is of the "opinion" that it is reasonably probable that a result more favorable to the appealing party would have been reached in the absence of the error.
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