Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-05-01
Decision Waited
On Jurisdiction
7 Teen-Agers
Lindstedt SIoying
Suspects Appear
Before Coroner

SPH
Before Coroner
Two teen-agerS sat in their
District Jail cell today, anxious
ly waiting for Juvenile Court
Judge Edith Cockrill to decide
whether she will send them to
Federal Court to be tried for
murder.
The youths are William D.
(Reds) HOWE, II, Of 1749 Eight
zenith street NV, and Isaac L.
Qkie) White. Is, of 1108 Trini-
day avenue NE. both colored.
Each was ordered held for Ju-
venile Court action yesterday by
q coroner's jury on a charge of
Staying William j. LindStedt, 81,
an ex-Marine corporal, last De-
cember.
HOWE was 16 when he fired
the shot that tore through Lind
stedt's heart and severed the
Korean veterans spinal cord
during a scuffle on the sidewalk
in front of 1929 Fourteenth
street NV.
Decision Waited.
Judge Cockrill's decision as to
whether she will waive her jul
risdiction, thus permitting the
youths to be tried in the adult
court. is vital to the defendants.
If they are tried and convicted
in Juvenile Court, they could
be held in custody only until they
are 81.
But conviction of firSt-degree
murder by the U. S. District
Court for the District of Co
lumbia carries mandatory
death penalty. For Second-degree
murder, the sentence is from 10
to 80 years, and for manslaugh-
ter. up to IS years.
Police officials and the United
States Attorneys Office have filed
formal applications, asking Judge
Cockrill to let the youths be
tried in the big court" How
ever, Judge Cockrill told news
men she was awaiting the out
come of the coroner's jury ver-
dict yesterday before making
her decision.
Police say both youths have adj
mitted they killed the Marine
veteran. HOWE said it was he
who fired the fatal bullet.
Statements in Record.
At their inquest, statements.
police said were made by the
two were read into the record
by Homicide Squad Sergt. Roy
c. Schwab.
In them, the boys allegedly
said Mr.. Lindstedt picked a
fight as they passed a parked
ear from which the former Ma
rine and two companions, Mr..
and Mrs. Robert M. O'Connell,
jr., of the 400 block Sixteenth
street Sc, were alighting.
AS they drew abreast of the
auto. they said the Staying victim
demanded of HOWE, What the
hell are you looking at?" Both
said they ignored the query and
attempted to walk on but were
prevented by Mr.. Lindstedt. who
lunged at HOWE. The latter said
he was carrying, for no ap-
parent reason" a snub-noSed
.38-caliber revolver he had found
In a trash pile three days earlier.
II didn't intend to shoot him."
Howie's confession stated. II
pulled out the gun just to
frighten him. I was scared. I
got panicky. He lunged at me
and the gun went off,"
Whites statement corroborated
that of his companion.
However, he said when he saw
HOWE take out the gun, he
shouted, Man, don't shoot" He
said HOWE heSitated a second
and then Il yelled again, Man,
man, don't shoot him."
Pledge Broken.
Their confessions also said
they vowed never to tell of their
part in the killing. White, how
ever, broke his pledge. He told
a friend, Robert Solomon, COL
ored, a night club diShwasher,
about it while the two rode in
SolomonS car to the Pentagon
Building. Within a month word
got back to police.
The statements also showed
remorSe. Howie's said:
II didn't even know his name
until I read it in the paper. I
felt real bad when I saw he was
a Marine and had been over in
Korea fighting for our lives.
felt pretty bad about it, and so
did like"
None of the witnesses, includ-
ing Mr.. O'Connel, a Washing
ton Gas Light Co.. employee, into
whose arms Lindstedt collapsed
and died, could identify White.
How ever Mr.. O'Connell posi-
lively identified HOWE .aS the
man he saw shoot and kill the
Marine veteran.
White was represented by at
torney B. Michael LandeSman.
HOWE appeared without counsel.
Both boys refused to take the
stand and remained impassive
throughout the three-hour hear
ing, conducted by Coroner A.
Mapruder Macdonald.