Bishop v. People

James Wilson Bishop, whom we will designate as defendant, was convicted by a jury verdict of second degree murder. This writ of error is directed to a judgment and sentence of from 16 to 30 years in the state penitentiary.

The victim of the murder was Mark A. Yourtz, the three-year-old son of defendant’s wife, Barbara June Bishop, by a former marriage. The defendant married Mark’s mother on December 2, 1964. The death of the boy took place on January 18, 1965.

At the outset, a brief summary of the evidence is necessary as a background for putting defendant’s points of error in proper focus. A…