People v. Abernathy

Charles Abernathy, defendant, was found guilty of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to the State’s prison for life. He and John Koch, the murdered man, lived in Cheboygan, Michigan. They had been friends for years. Both worked along the water front and as a side occupation were engaged together in the manufacture and sale of moonshine whisky. They lived in the same block, there being an alley between their homes. Their families associated together, and after the death of defendant’s wife, the relation between defendant and Koch’s wife became very intimate. In January, 1929, Koch and…