State v. William C.Sellers
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In South Carolina, a defendant, William C. Sellers, was convicted of murder in connection with the killing of Johnny Hydrick. The State presented evidence that Sellers personally murdered Hydrick during a burglary and robbery attempt to steal Oxycodone, guns, and cash from Hydrick's home. The State also presented an alternative theory that Sellers was guilty under the doctrine of "the hand of one is the hand of all" because he and another man agreed to carry out the burglary and robbery, during which one or both of them fatally beat Hydrick.
The Supreme Court of South Carolina affirmed the lower court's decision. The court addressed two main issues. First, it considered whether the trial court's jury instruction defining malice partly as "the intentional doing of a wrongful act without just cause or excuse" improperly shifted the burden of proof to Sellers. The court found that the instruction did not shift the burden because the State was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Sellers acted "without just cause or excuse."
Second, the court examined whether the State presented sufficient evidence to support instructing the jury on Sellers' criminal liability under the doctrine of "the hand of one is the hand of all." The court found that the State had presented evidence that Sellers and another man had agreed to commit the burglary and robbery, and that both had beaten Hydrick during the course of these crimes. Thus, the instruction was supported by the evidence.
Therefore, the court affirmed Sellers' conviction for murder.
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