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Show SLAYER OF OFFICER SENTENCED TO LIFE i Giovanni Anselmo Pleads Guilty to Crime of Murder Mur-der in Second Degree. Cioanni Anselmo, slayer of Patrol-j Patrol-j man Thomas Griffith?, yesterday plead-' plead-' cd guilty to murder in the second de- gree and was sentenced to imprisonment ( for life. I Convicted in January, 191-1, on a 1 charge of second-degree murder for the i killing, which was committed June 25", j 191 o, Anselmo was at one time under sentence of death. An appeal to the supreme court resulted, however, in a reversal of the decision of the trial court and remanding of the case for a : new trial. ! Shortly before 12 o'clock yesterday j morning Anselmo and his attorney, Judge William II. Kinp. appeared in the court of Judge C. W. Morse and within a few minutes the plea of guilty of second-decree murder had been substituted for the former plea of not guilty to murder mur-der in the first degree, the murderer sentenced and the vexing case closed. When Judge King announced the desire de-sire of his client to plead guilty to the lesser charge rather than stand trial again on the greater one, E. O. Leather-wood, Leather-wood, district attorney, announced that he would consent to such a plea, provided pro-vided that the defendant would agree j to take a sentence, of life imprisonment. This provision was met. Taking the witness stand, the father j of the young man explained that con-i con-i sulfation with friends and with his sou had led him to believe that it would be best for Giovanni to plead guilty to second-degree murder rather than again stand trial for first degree murder. Attorney At-torney King took occasion to express belief1 that the record of Anselmo as a prisoner would probably recommend him for favorable consideration for pardon, and that he hoped some time to be able to ret a pardon for his client. The lulling of Patrolman Griffiths by Anselmo was one of the most startling start-ling murders ever committed in Salt Lake. Anselmo had been arrested by the policeman in ,a restaurant on West Second South street, following a quarrel quar-rel between the man arrested and another an-other Italian. The affray resulting in the arrest of Anselmo took place in a saloon next door to the restaurant, and during it Anselmo slashed his countryman, coun-tryman, Pete Massie, with a knife. 'While Patrolman Griffiths was in the act of ringing for the patrol wagon Anselmo broke away. Pursued by the policeman, the fugitive drew a revolver and shot Patrolman Griffiths dead. The reversal of the case by the supreme court after Anselmo had been condemned to death resulted from the admission of. hearsay evidence in the trial, according1 to the'decision of the higher court. |