State v. Murphy

The defendant was tried to a jury on the charge of murder of his wife. He was convicted of murder in the second degree. On appeal he contends that fingernail scrapings taken from him against his will were wrongfully received in evidence. The state produced testimony that analysis of the scrapings revealed skin, blood cells, and white cotton fiber. This evidence was obviously introduced as tending to prove that the defendant had acquired- these substances under his fingernails by strangling his wife while she was in bed. .

At the time the police took .the fingernail scrapings they had not…