Salt Lake Herald | 1907-02-09 | Page 1 | Sane When He Shot Sheriff

SANE WHEN HE HES S tre b tl tI Pe P Ity for Frank W Wit lard on Trial for Insanity at Time of Crime CrimeS S San Francisco Fob SAn opinion was rendered In the supreme me court 1 ing that t two commitments to an insane asylum s um do not exempt exe a m murderer from for his crime nor uphold his plea pIca th that t at the time of the homicide he hc was Insane Int decision was rendered In tile the case cage of Frank Willard who In 1905 1005 shot and killed SherIff Smith of Mendocino count county He had been ar arrested arrested rested on the charge of insanity was be before before fore the Court and adjudged Insane when ht h suddenly leaped to his feet and ran from the court room declaring that he was not insane The sheriff pursued him and was killed Willard escaped to the mountains was captured and Immediately sent to the asylum In which he had b been en confined on two prior occasions After thirteen days confinement he applied for a writ of habeas corpus which was granted and lie he was placed on trial for mur murder r con convicted and given the d death ath penalty Prom rom this he appealed arid and the supreme courts de ision now is that evE tf If he had peri periodical pen attacks or of he was res pon sible at the time of t the homicide and must therefore suffer sutter d ath by hanging The decision WR was written b by Justice Lorigan and was concurred In by Justices Shaw Sloss Henshaw Angelotti and Mc McFarland Farland