Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-10-16 | Page 12 | Defense Given by Mortensen

DEFENSE GIVEN BY Special to Th The Telegram OGDEN Oct 16 Ill 16 health business business business busi busi- ness and domestic worries which caused a tempo temporary ary mental breakdown breakdown break break- down leading to the slayings of three persons here the morning of June 30 will be part of the defense of George Morten Morten- sen 37 31 It was Indicated in openIng opening open- open Ing ng arguments of his chief counsel S. S P. P Dobbs as the trial continued for tor the third day Friday morning The other defense will be that Adam dam Snyder law in of with whose first degree murder he Is specifically ch charged was the aggressor on the morning of the slayings and that the prisoner prisoner pris pris- oner acted in self seU also is accused of slayIng slaying slay- slay Ing ng his mother-in-law mother Mrs Mabel Scott Snyder and her heE mother Mrs Emma Scott Rose after alteE a night of quarreling with Adam Snyder Fi First t Witness the first witness for forthe forthe the he defense said that he had at one onetime onetime onetime time suffered from tuberculosis and other ther disabilities disabilities' and that precedIng preceding Ing ng the week of June 28 he was under great mental stress aE arising sing out of an embezzlement charge against him in Salt Lake City and because his wife who was staying at the home of f her er parents refused to return to him During a lengthy examination of his counsel traced his business connection with H H. C C. Hookstra head of a cosmetic firm for whom was employed as a salesman and out of which a charge of embezzling 6 was lodged against the defendant It was Mr Hookstra who notified Los Angeles Angeles Angeles An An- geles police when communicated com com- communicated with him in the California California California Cali Cali- fornia fornia- city after his flight from Ogden During his examination Morten- Morten sen spoke in a low almost Inaudible inaudible inaudible inaudi inaudi- ble voice and was frequently admonished admonished admonished ad ad- by both the state state and his own counsel to speak more clearly Trouble With Wife testified that his chief trouble with his wife was that she was determined to find employment employment employment employ employ- ment in Ogden in order to aid her parents I didn't like the idea of my wife working he said I wanted her herto herto herto to return to me I was so worried with this and the embezzlement charge that I decided to kill myself if conditions didn't improve He also testified that Snyder at atone atone atone one time said If It you over ver come up again to make my daughter go goback goback goback back with you Ill I'll kill you On another occasion said Snyder warned him If It you ever s strike rike my daughter again Ill I'll kill you Mrs Grace his bis wife who recovered from the attack on her the morning of the slayings was again In court Friday Other witnesses to be called by bythe bythe bythe the defense are D Dr A A. A. A Robinson consulting psychiatrist and Dr Garland H. H Pace superintendent of the state hospital at Provo