Evening star., 1936-06-24
DEFENSE AT END,
JURY SOON TO GET
M'NAMARA CASE
II Character Witnesses
Called in Murder Trial
of virginian.
YOUTH LAYS KILLING
TO SUICIDE MISFIRE
Counsel Expected to Ask Instruc-
tions for Verdict of Man
slaughter.

The defense rested today in the
first-degree murder trial of William
Martin Mcnamara, 81, of Petersburg
Va, and the case neared the jury
which has heard the youth relate a
story of unrequited love in his efforts
to escape the electric chair.
He is charged with numbering John
Mikedis. chef at the Liberty Cafe, 8o4
K street, March IA. The cook was
struck by stray bullet as the youth
opened fire, and the Government con-
tends Mcnamara intended to kill his
estranged wife, Ruth, and Samuel j.
Ally, cafe proprietor, of whom he was
jealous. Mcnamara has maintained
he drew his revolver to commit suicide.
Eleven character witnesses from
Petersburg took the stand this morn
ing in District Supreme Court and
painted for Justice Daniel w. ODon-
oghoe and the jury a picture of a
nervous, high-strung youth. deeply in
love with his wife, who grieved be-
cause Of his separation from her.
Those who testified for Mcnamara
included lawyer. a priest, a school
teacher and several physicians and
business men of the Virginia town.
They all said his reputation was un-
blemished
prosAcutar,S plan
Assistant United States Attorney
Samuel Beach said he did not intend
to put on any rebuttal testimony.
Defense Attorneys Frank ]. Kelley
and E. Russell Kelley were expected to
ask Justice O'Donoghue to include
instructions for second-degree and
manslaughter verdicts in his charge
to the jury.
Wringing his hands and almost on
the point of tears, Mcnamara told the
jury yesterday of his love for his wife,
which caused him to hitch-hike from
Petersburg to Washington in search of
her.
II never had any intention to
kill her." he declared. That never
entered my head, because I love
her. But when I finally got it
firmly in my mind that I was going
to kill myself-commit suicide-I
wanted to do it in front Of her. I
wanted her to see it."
The shooting occurred in the kitchen
of the cafe, where Mrs. Mcnamara
worked as a waitress.
Married when he was II years old,
Mcnamara and his wife separated a
year later and she came to Washing
ton. He did not see her again until
shortly before the tragedy, when she
visited him in Petersburg to arrange
for a divorce. He refused, but called
her by telephone few days later and
told her that if she would return, he
would arrange for the decree.
He admitted from the stand that
this promise was untrue and was made
so he could see her again.
Testifying against her husband,
Mrs. Mcnamara previously had told
Of the divorce promise.
Gun Of Friend.
Desperate at his failure to get his
wife back to him, Mcnamara left
Petersburg for Washington with only
is cents in his pocket. He said he
had borrowed the gun from a friend
because he had been considering sui
eide for months.
Walking and riding, he arrived here
about 2 pm. The Staying occurred
that evening. Unable to secure the
home address of his wife from her
employer, he tramped the streets until
$50 o'clock searching for her, he de-
clared. Questions by his attorney
elected the information he had not
eaten since Z am. that day.