The PEOPLE v. Stanhope

Defendant, Norman Stanhope, appeals directly here from the judgment and sentence of death entered following a Madison County jury verdict finding him guilty of murdering his wife on March 8, 1967. Direct appeal lies in all capital cases. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1967, ch. 110A, par. 603.) While numerous issues were raised by the defendant in this appeal, our disposition here makes it unnecessary to consider any matters other than the question of defendant’s competency to stand trial.

A pretrial hearing was held at defense counsel’s request to determine defendant’s competency to stand trial. The court…