State v. Rouse

Riner, Justice.

James J. Rouse was convicted in the District Court of Goshen County of the crime of “murder in the first degree”. The jury added to their verdict the words “without capital punishment”. He was accordingly sentenced to serve a term of life imprisonment in the Wyoming penitentiary at Rawlins. From this judgment the present appeal is prosecuted. Rouse will hereinafter usually be mentioned as the “defendant”.

When arraigned the defendant entered two pleas, viz., “not guilty by reason of insanity” and “not guilty”. Under the first plea, after a trial before a jury, pursuant to the…