OCR Text |
Show Sharrett Freed in Jail Death Following Hearing Cleared by Court in Manslaughter Case r I it i li " 1 T7Q PRISONERS -TELL OFFATAL-BATTLEjri OFFATAL-BATTLEjri CELL Antics of Victim Prior to Fight Related by Witnesses Ralph Sharrett, IS. of North First West street Friday was freed In Salt Lake City court on a charge of Involuntary manslaughter. Discharge of the defendant, accused ac-cused after an alleged fist fight May 10 In city jell, resulting la fatal Injury of Robert F. Howard, II. was granted by Judge Wllford Moyle Burton after four stats witnesses testified at the preliminary hearing. hear-ing. The evidence showed Mr, Howard died from a skull fracture; that the victim was boisterous and bother-soms bother-soms to other prisoners In the cell block and slapped Mr. Sharrett prior to a scuffle. , Trusty Testifies This man that died was bothering bother-ing Sharrett. He (Howard! kept pulling8harrett's hair and slapping his face. I threw two cups of watsr on Howard, but did not sea the actual ac-tual fight," testified Dennis O'Loughlln, U, a corridor trusty. Julian Banes, 42, a prisoner in the same cell block, teetified Howard was 'calling everybody bad namee and threw his arms around Sharrett Shar-rett from behind" when the latter climbed off his bunk, whsre he had been asleep. Saens testified he saw tha men scuffling and saw Sharrett strike Howard ever the head with part of a loaf of bread when the dead man was on his knees In front of the defendant. de-fendant. Later Howard crawled to the aids of ths corridor and raised himself by holding onto ths bars. "He (Howard) stood there, swaying sway-ing back and forth, for a while, then let loose of the bars and fell backward, back-ward, striking his head," testified Saens. Tells of Autopsy Dr. Orin A. Ogllvie testified concerning con-cerning sn sutopsy performed an the body of the victim and explained the nature of the skull fracture. , Joseph Tanner, Jailer on duty 'at city jail when the alleged fist fight occurred, was the only othsr stats witness. He testified he went to the cell block three times during the disturbance among prisoners which aaaertedly preceded Howard's death. Once, the witness said, Howard signed a ball slip, snothsr time the jailer said he- endeavored to quiet the men and that oa one occasion the defendsnt cursed him when he ssked If Sharrett wanted to sign a bail slip authorising ths jailer to call a bondsman to obtain releass of ths prisoner. A STEP FROM THE JAIL WHICH PROVED TO BE STEP TO FREEDOM Ralph Sharrett his way to his preliminary hearing in city court . |