Commonwealth v. Yeager

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Maxey,

This is an appeal from the sentence of death imposed in accordance with the jury’s verdict, upon the defendant, William H. Yeager, after he was convicted of murder in the first degree upon an indictment charging him with the murder of John Fessler, a member of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Early in the evening of April 22, 1937, the defendant engaged in a quarrel with his wife and other members of his family at his and their home in Cooper Township, Montour County. In the course of the argument Yeager struck his wife over the head with a lantern, causing her head…