The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-19
Verdict of Second Degree Muir
der Returned Against Youth.
Roy Emerson of CrestOn, Ia, Is
Found Guilty.
Staying WAS A BRUTAL CRIME
WOman's Mangled Body Thrown
Down Elevator Shaft.
Trial Marked One of Greatest
Legal Battles in Iowa.

Mt. Aye. Ia, July 19.-The jury in
the case of Roy Emerson. of Creston.
Ia, charged with beating his mother
to death with an iron brace and throw
ing her body down an elevator shaft,
returned a verdict of guilty of murder
in the second degree. The verdict was
given to the court at 1910 a. m. today.
The case went to the jury at p. m.
yesterday.
Body Badly Mangled.
Mrs. Kate Emerson. mother OF the
defendant, was found dead at the bot
tom of an elevator shaft in the EN-
erson undertaking establishment in
Creston May 6. The body was badly
mangled and mutilated. Both legs
were broken, her lips were cut, one
eye was discolored and her arm bore
four marks on the front and one on
the back as If she had been tightly
gripped by someone.
At first it was generally considered
that Mrs. Emerson had committed sui
eide. Discovery of blood spots near
the shaft, an iron brace with red stains
on it and other evidences, led, how
ever, to the arrest of her son, Roy
Emerson, on a charge of murder. The
| coroner's Jury returned an open YER
i
| one unknown" but a special session OF
the grand jury was called and Roy
Emerson indicted. He was then held
| in Jail at Creston without oail. the trial
being set for June 80. A change OF
venue was granted, however, and EN-
erson went on trial at Mt. Ayr, Ringold
/ county, July 8.
Great Legal Battle.
The trial marked one of the great
est legal battles the state has ever
witnessed. Armed only with circum-
stantial evidence, the state left moth
| ing undone to convict Emerson. EN-
| erson maintaining his innocence at al
times, obtained several of the leading
lawyers of the state to defend him and
made arrangements to sell his estate
valued at $4,000, to pay for his de-
| Tense.
The state took eight days in present.
ing it's case, one day. however, being
devoted to a trip to Creston SO that the
! jury could inspect at first hand the
place where Mrs. Emerson's body wa:
found. In its argument. the state con-
| tended that Emerson carefully pre-
pared to STAY his mother, giving as the
| motive his desire to control the family
estate, and producing testimony tC
show that he had threatened her with
violence and frequently quarreled witt
her over money matters.
The states evidence showed an iroT
brace was found near the shaft will
red stains on it; that Mrs. Emerson
apparently had been beaten and ther
thrown into the elevator shaft. BLOOD
spots were found on the walls of the
shaft and on the floor of the room i
is in. A bloody rag was found in the
room, also. witnesses sail. Other wit
nesses said Roy Emerson sent a sui
to a cleaners the day after the finding
of his mothers body, and that it wal
damp in spots as If someone had trieC
to clean out spots.
"Made'' a Suicide Case.
The state also contended that Elmer
son had repeatedly said previous to hi
mothers death that she planned sui
eide, maintaining that this was doni
to remove suspicion from himself Tn,
top of Mrs. Emerson's skull was intro
duced as evidence. and an attemp