People v. Caldwell

Defendant was charged by information with the murder of his wife, Lily Pearl Storts Caldwell, and with four previous convictions of felony. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, admitted the convictions, and waived trial by jury. The court found him guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced him to death. This appeal is automatic. (Pen. Code, § 1239, subd. (b).)

In early February, 1954, defendant informed the Arkansas State Police that he had killed his wife in Riverside, California. An' investigation followed and her body was found in the bathtub in her Riverside cabin. She…