McMeen v. Commonwealth
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Error to the Court of Oyer and Terminer of Juniata county : Of July Term 1886, No. 153. This was an indictment against William Josiah McMeen for the murder of his wife, Nancy McMeen. The indictment was found in the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace of said county and after the trial it was certified into the Court of Oyer and Terminer of said county as of the date the indictment was found.
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Error to the Court of Oyer and Terminer of Juniata county : Of July Term 1886, No. 153. This was an indictment against William Josiah McMeen for the murder of his wife, Nancy McMeen. The indictment was found in the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace of said county and after the trial it was certified into the Court of Oyer and Terminer of said county as of the date the indictment was found. (Ninth assignment of error.) On the morning of March 9th, 1886, Mrs. Nancy McMeen, of Port Royal, Juniata county, Pennsylvania, died very suddenly under circumstances indicating poison by strychnine.…
1Opinion of the CourtJustice Paxson
We find no error in the admission of the evidence referred to in the first assignment. It was a part of the commonwealth’s case to show motive or malice on the part of the prisoner. He was upon trial for the murder of his wife. The evidence leaves no room for doubt that the deceased came to her death by poison, and that the poison was sent to her by the prisoner. Whether it was sent for the purpose of taking her life, or innocently and for a proper purpose, was the main question of fact in the case. It was clearly competent to show the relations between the prisoner and his wife prior and up…
2Cited by37 opinions
- Commonwealth v. SullivanSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1977
- Commonwealth v. KravitzSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1960
- Commonwealth v. SparduteSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1923
- Commonwealth v. HomeyerSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1953
- Commonwealth v. LettrichSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1943
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