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Copeland v. State
Tennessee Supreme Court
285 S.W. 565 (1926)
- Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD
Facts
Copeland (defendant) was driving a car and attempting to pass two wagons in the road. A boy ran from behind one of the wagons, in front of Copeland’s car. Copeland hit and killed the boy and was charged with involuntary manslaughter. The trial court failed to instruct the jury that to convict, it had to find the boy’s death resulted from Copeland violating a statute or committing some negligent or reckless act, not an accident caused by the boy running from behind the wagon despite Copeland driving with reasonable care. The jury convicted Copeland of involuntary manslaughter. Copeland appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cook, J.)
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