Imperial Valley press., 1930-12-22
ROBERTS GIVEN
HIS FREEDOM BY
JURY'S VERDICT
Second Trial Results In
AcquittaI On Charge Of
Staying Woman Friend.
mot guilty"

mot guilty"
Lee L. Roberts walked from Judge
A. c. Finney's superior court room
a free man at Gas Saturday night
after a jury returned that verdict,
eXonerating him Of the murder OF
Mrs. Florence Miller.
Acquittal of Roberts was a signal
victory for Defense Attorneys Ern-
est r. Utley of Ell Centro and Jesse
c. Wanslee of Phoenix.
After celebrating for 10 hours
and So minutes the jury of three
women and nine men reported to
Judge Finney that they were ready
to render a verdict. Judge Finney
had been called from his home to
the court room half an hour Prev
, ously so that part of the testimony
could be re-read to the jury. At
that time they stood nine to three
for acquittal.
Retiring to their jury room, the
! jurors soon reached a decision. They
! filed into the court room in custody
| of BaiIiff A. T. Eggleston, and the
foreman reported that a decision
| had been reached. 1t was handed
to Judge Fineny, VINO in turn hand
| ed it to John Kepley, acting as clerk
of the court in Emile v. LIE Vogue S
absence. Kepley read the verdict
| that freed Roberts of all blame.
| "A small group of spectators, in
| Guiding friends of Roberts and wit
nesseS who have testified during the
trial. were on hand to hear the
verdict.
Roberts listened to the decision
with scarcely change of facial eX-
| preston, but when his friends
crowded about to congratulate him
and when Utley told him you're a
free man noW," his face broke into
! smiles.
Rodney Clark, undersheritf
| brought Roberts to the court room
to hear the verdict, and returned to
the county Jail without a prisoner
! and with only a release.
Thanks All Around
| Following the reading OF the ver-
dict, Judge Finney thanked the
jury for their action, telling them
that in his opinion they had re.
turned the proper verdict. Ernes'
r. Utley was on his feet to thank
the jury in behalf of Roberts, ano
Clarence B. Smith, chief deputy dis
trict attorney followed with thanks
for the prosecution. Roberts, stand.
| ing in the door of the court room
| thanked the jury personally for ac-
quitting him.
At the same time he stated that
his plans for the future are unset
tied. The only thing Roberts SAID
| he was sure of is that he is gong
to try to stay out of Jail for while
Roberts has been in Jail on a
murder charge since the night OF
August 10, the night on which Mrs
Miller died in Yuma. He had just
been released from the Yuma jail
| that morning when he paid a fine
of $1,000 for transportation OF in
toxicating liquor.
Roberts, through his attorneys
conducted bitter fight against eX-
tradition to California, claiming
that whatever happened took place
in Arizona. and that California
authorities had no hold ON him. 1t
was his contention that Mrs. Mil
ler'S death resulted when she fell
from an automobile he was driving
and that she fell from the car on
the Arizona side of the state line.
Brought to Imperial county fol
/ trial, Roberts first listened to evi-
dence against himself in a lengthy
session of court, only to have the
first trial result in hung jury.
1t was thought by many that the
! jury which acquitted him Saturday
night would be unable to agree on
/ verdict