Evening star., 1932-10-25
Three C0Iored Men Are Con-
victed of Staying Milo
J. Kennedy.
FACE DEATH PENALTY
IF VERDICT STANDS
Motion for New Trial Will Be
Made in Logan Circle
Killing.

Three young colored men today stood
convicted of first-degree murder for the
Staying of Park Policeman Milo j.
Kennedy in Logan Circle August 6. The
verdict was returned after SIC hours
of deliberation last night by a District
Supreme Court jury following weeks
trial
The jury's finding automatically car
ries the death penalty
Chief Justice Alfred A. Wheat. the
trial jurist, allowed defense attorneys
five days in which to prepare motion
for new trial Sentence will be pro-
nounced after the expiration of that
time.
Those convicted were Joseph James
Jackson, Irwin Murray and Ralph Ed
ward Holes. Three other young colored
men arraigned jointly with those con-
victed were freed last Thursday by
Justice Wheat, who directed a verdict
OF not guilty on the ground that the
Government had not produced sufficient
evidence against them.
Lesser Degree Sought.
The defense sought to persuade the
jury to return a verdict of manslaugh-
ter or second-degree murder for Jack
son and Murray. Counsel contended
that jackson was resisting an illegal
, arrest by Policeman Kennedy and con-
sequently should not be convicted of
! more than manslaughter. The defense
also tried to prove that Murray was SO
intoxicated as to have been incapable
OF premeditated malice and could be
guilty of no more than second degree
murder.
Kennedy, who is survived by widow
and small child. was beaten to death in
| gang attack which followed his arrest
Of Jackson. who is alleged to have
thrown stone at his car to lure him
into the park. The prosecution con-
tended the attack was in pursuance of
a pre-conceived plot of vengeance be-
cause of previous arrest by Kennedy
OF two other members of the gang
according to the contention of the
Government, Murray struck the officer
a heavy blow on the back of the head
with a half brick and Holmes struck
him on the head and in the face five
times with the policeman'S own baton
after he was down. Other colored men
are said to have then stoned him. He
died at Garfield Hospital within a few
hours of fractured skull.
The contention that the arrest OF
Jackson was illegal was based on the
statement that Jackson had committed
IllSUcIledIlOI OILY ana Was UOI SuUJcSt
to arrest without a warrant since the
offense was not committed in the Off
GERS presence.
Labor Defense Interested.
| The Governments case was presented
! bv Assistant United States Attorney
William H. Collins and the defendants
were represented by John H. Wilson
Bernard AIDES. Samuel Levine and j. F
Derricotte. The latter three are attor-
neys for the International Labor De-
| fenes, which interested itself in the case
AIDES and Levine recentlv presented ar
guments to the United States Supreme
Court in the Scottsboro case.
! The three colored men in whose favor
Justice Wheat directed verdict of &C.
quittal were Louie Murray, brother o.
one of the men convicted: Leroy Rob.
inson and Harry M. Duvall.
During the course of the trial the de-
| PENDANTS had testified that incriminat.
| ing statements were forced from then
by police through third-degree methojs
The accused officers denied the allega'
ton from the witness stand.