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Wheeler v. United States | 159 U.S. 523 (1895)
There’s no question that witnesses under the age of eighteen are capable of providing competent, relevant testimony in criminal trials. But how young is too young to be a competent witness, and how does a court draw that line? The Supreme Court considered this question in Wheeler versus United States.
In 1895, George Wheeler was tried for murder. The prosecution sought to admit the testimony of the victim’s son. The boy had been nearly 5 years old when his father was killed and was 5-and-a-half during Wheeler’s trial. When questioned during voir dire, the boy replied that he understood the difference between a lie and the truth, that his mother had instructed him to tell the truth, that if he lied he believed he would go to jail, and that he intended to tell the truth. The circuit court permitted the boy’s testimony, and Wheeler was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. The United States Supreme Court issued a writ of error to review the trial court’s ruling admitting the testimony.
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