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Donnelly v. United States
United States Supreme Court
228 U.S. 243 (1913)
- Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD
Facts
A prosecutor indicted Donnelly (defendant) for murdering a Chickasaw man on a federal reservation. At trial, Donnelly wanted to present evidence that another Native American, Joe Dick, had confessed to the shooting, but had since died. The evidence included footprints leading from the crime scene toward Dick’s nearby camp instead of Donnelly’s home, and an impression made by a person sitting down that Donnelly claimed comported with Dick’s consumptive shortness of breath. The court excluded the evidence as hearsay, convicted Donnelly, and sentenced him to life in prison. Donnelly appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Pitney, J.)
Dissent (Holmes, J.)
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