Commonwealth v. Becker

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Drew,

The defendant, John Becker, was indicted and tried for the murder of Kathryn Bracken, who was employed by the Pittsburgh & Shawmut Railroad Company as a telegraph operator at the Shawmut signal tower in Brookville, Jefferson County. The jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree and recommended the death penalty. Prom the judgment and sentence imposed, after refusal of defendant’s motion for a new trial, this appeal was taken.

The record discloses a cruel and sordid crime. Some of the facts are of such a revolting nature that they do not bear…