State v. Bessar

FOURNET, Justice.

Wilbert Powell and Joseph Bessar, Jr., having been jointly indicted and tried for the murder of Bernice Marie Roy, are appealing from their conviction and death sentence.

Powell and Bessar, who lived in the same house in the city of New Orleans but occupied different rooms, agreed after playing pool on the night of November 30, 1945, to rob someone (to “make some money” as they express it in their confessions), they being at the time armed with a gun belonging to Bessar. Leaving the poolroom they proceeded out Tulane avenue toward the lake. They walked several blocks before…