The PEOPLE v. Hobbs

The defendant, George Willie Hobbs, was convicted of murder on a jury verdict in the circuit court of Sangamon County. The verdict did not provide for the death penalty and the court sentenced him to the penitentiary for a term of 25 to 50 years.

In the early hours of November 21, 1964, on a secluded lane a short distance southwest of Decatur, Bertha Mae Scott was shot and killed. Defendant admits firing the shots but contends he did so in self-defense. On the day previous he had started drinking about 4 :oo o’clock in the afternoon in anticipation of a weekend visit from his friend, Ronnie…