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Show JURY CONVICTS DEFENDANT IN MURDER TRIAL i O ) MARK'S PETFRMON Convicted slayer Handcuffed Marius Peterson Waits Sentence; Life Term Recommended ' Marius Peterson 51, will be sen-' sen-' fenced Tuesday by District Judge Oscar W, McConkie for the first degree murder of his son-in-law Donald Preston, 25, last July 10. Peterson was convicted by a Jury Thursday after five hours and 33 minutes of .deliberation. -The Jury recommended life imprisonment; unless the court sets a new precedent prece-dent by Imposing the death penalty, pen-alty, the sentence will be life Imprisonment. Im-prisonment. 1 Peterson shot his son-in-law as the climax of a long quarrel over the custody of his granddaughter, who had been awarded to Mr. Preston Pres-ton by the court after the death of his wife, Lenore Peterson Preston, Peterson's daughter. Boy Testifies The -slaying occurred In front of Preston's home at 969 East Fourth South street, as the victim was about to start for work. Jerry Lundberg, a six-year-old boy who witnessed the shooting, testified that Just before firing the fatal shot Peterson cried. "If you don't let me see that baby, I'll ahoot you." The state contended that the killing resulted from Preston's re- fusal to relinquish the-child or to allow Peterson to visit the youngster. young-ster. Peterson testified that he believed be-lieved Preston had mistreated his wife and undermined her health, lie said delusions preyed on his mind until he went to Preston's home to force a "confession" from his son-in-law. FhyslHans Testify Testimony of Dr. Foster J. Curtis Cur-tis and Dr. Deed Harrow, alienists called by the defense, featured the trial. Attorneys Thomas W. Mackay and Roscoe W. Irvine drew from the doctors the assertion that Peterson was a "border-line case," which meant that he was too normal nor-mal to be insane and too abnormal to be sane. District Attorney Calvin W. Rawlings and Assistant District Attorney Brigham E. Roberts, in demanding a conviction, declared that the prisoner knew right from wrong, that he knew when he fired the gun, and that his refusal to answer certain questions Immediately Imme-diately were indicative of his sanity san-ity both at the time of the murder and later. Mr. Rawlings, In closing his argument, ar-gument, pictured the defendant as a "selfish, deliberate and ruthless person, who would not stop for God, man or law." Judge McConkie advised the Jury It might return any one of five verdicts, ver-dicts, murder In the first degree with a mandatory death sentence, murder in the first degree with a recommendation of leniency, second sec-ond degree murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, or acquittal. |