The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-01-01

the Hartford court when the Super for Court denied his request for State funds for the appeal.
 The Supreme Court overruled the opinion of the three murder trial judges who denied the funds, and directed them to grant the request. That meant a second hearing here, and o final order which may set precedent for other similar requests.
 Zukauskas' appeal was decided against him just as the year was rounding out, but the case is not ended yet. The former policeman plans to go before the Pardons Board and may yet take his case to the U. s. Supreme Court. A lS40 chapter is expected In the case was started in 1944.
 An unusually. heavy criminal docket, which brought many youths into court, was on in 1945, and the annual report of the states attor- ney's ofice may disclose new rec ord.
 Outstanding, in the opinion of many court observers, was the sem tencing of five youths to heavy prison sentences for escaping rom the Cheshire Reformatory. The smallest penalty in those cases was one to three years and the heaviest, five to seven years.
 The court ruled the youths would have to stay in prison at least the amount of time remaining on their reformatory sentences, and would not gain advantage because Of the prisons custom of giving time oil for good behavior
 Two other youths who fled from the institution, and for five days made 8 series of breaks and thefts. earlier had sustained sentences Of from five to six years in prison.
 Unusual Trials
 A novel occurrence came in the arraignment of two youths who were apprehended in a stolen car, One pleaded guilty and sustained heavy prison sentence. The other selected trial by jury and was found innocent. The presiding judge took issue with the jury on the verdict, but had no alternative but to free the second lad.
 Divorce decrees mounted in num- Der, and naturalization certificationS decreased during l945. Both condi- tions were attributed to the war.
 Independence of women war workers was accredited for the long lines which marched to the witness stand each short calendar day,
 Waterbury's 1945 Superior Court session, highlighted by three mur- der cases and marked by several noteworthy civil actions, will go down in court history as most unusual one. Numerous "firsts" oc- cured during the calendar year, which was one of the busiest in at least a decade.
 Trial of Francis F. Zukauskas, former supernumerary policeman, for the staying of Mrs. Stephanie Plungis, was perhaps the outStand- ing event in the court.
 The three-week-l trial, before three judges instead of a jury, held the interest of thousands of Water burianS, many of whom were in the crowds which daily tried to gain adm1ttance to the trlal IooIn'
 Cyr Murdered
 Conviction of the former police man on the first degree murder charge and imposition of death sentence were followed but few months later by trial of Domenic Coscia, war worker, who was charged with first degree murder in the staying of Adolph Cyr.
 Coscia was found guilty of man. slaughter by jury and sentenced to serve 10 to IS years in the States Prison.
 With two murder trials over, the heavy court docket appeared al- ieviated, but only momentarily for then came the staying of Mrs. Doug las Hatch and the indictment on first degree murder charge of Nicholas Lucarelh, local restaurant chef.
 Lucarelli drew a life sentence and joined 90 other Nfers at the Wetn- ersfleld Prison, after the court ac- cepted plea of guilty to a charge