News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1920-12-29
MUDCETT Gets 80 TO IS YEARS
Following Verdict Of Manslaughter Monday
Afternoon in County Court

Very able pleas for the State and
defense were made Friday and the Judge
adjourned court until Monday rather
, than risk a hasty verdict by the jury,
who might be a,;,ious to get home for
: Christmas.
The court was late in assembling
owing to late trains which delayed the
arrival of Judge Moulton.
He completed his very able and i'm
partial charge at II :02 and the jury re-
tired at 11:15.
About 2 p. m. the jury came in and
requested the judge to read his sum-,
mary of the case and the kinds of ver-
diets that could be rendered They
then retired and came in at $40 with
verdict of guilty of manslaughter."
Judge Moulton took a few minutes
to consider the matter and then pro-
nounced sentence, summarized briefly,
mot less than thirty nor more than
thirty-fve years at hard labor in states
prison at Windsor"
The general opinion seemed to be
chat it was righteous verdict and sem
tence."
The following is the summary the
jury requested read to them, as stated
above.
To summarize briefly the main prop
osition of law involved in this charge:
|. The crime charged is murder
2. There aer four verdicts, any one
of which you may return as you feel
the evidence requires: Guilty of Muir
der in the First Degree; Guilty of Muir
der in the Second Degree; Guilty of
Manslaughter; not Guilty.
3. The respondent is presumed to be
innocent of any crime and this presump
ton is to be weighed as evidence in his !
favor. If he is found guilty of the un-
lawful killing of Amy Shonio, he is in |
turn presumed to be innocent of the |
higher grades of crime until the con-
trary is proven.
4. The burden is upon the state to
prove beyond a reasonable doubt that
the respondent is guilty of the unlawful
killing Of Amy Shonio.
5. The weight to be given the evidence
is for you alone, but you must consider
and weigh all the evidence.
6. If you are satisfied beyond a reas-
enable doubt that the respondent killed
Amy Shonio willfully, with malice afore-
thought and with generalization and de-
liberation, your verdict must be Guilty
of Murder in the First Degree.
7. If you are satisfied beyond a reas-
enable doubt that the respondent killed
Amy Shonio with malice aforethought l.
out are not satisfied beyond a reason
able doubt that the act was done with
and deliberation, your
verdict should be Guilty of Murder in
he Second Degree
8. If you are satisfied beyond reas-
,nabe doubt that the respondent unlaw I
satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt ,
hat he did the killing with malice and
and deliberatiop, your I
,erdict should be Guilty of Manslaugh-
er.
g. If you are not satisfied beyond a
reasonable doubt that the respondent ,
killed Amy Shonio, your YER
lict must be Not Guilty. r. h
10. Your verdict will be oral. You !
annot separate until you have deliver
d it in Court Your Foreman will de-
liver it in answer to the question put
" the Clerk He will first ask whether
,ou have agreed upon a verdict, and if
-ou have what that verdict is, and your ,
brennan will answer in accordance with
he result of your deliberations.
Gentlemen, the duty of counsel and
he court has now been performed. The
ounsel engaged in this case have been =
in their efforts to bring be-
ore you all possible evidence that may
id you in arriving at the truth-they
AVE ably assisted you in applying the
violence to the facts in controversy. On
ny part, l. have endeavored rightly to {
dvice you with regard to the law.
There now confronts you the final
nd important duty of pronouncing upon t
he guilt or innocence of the respondent. !