United States v. Coffey

Following his conviction for the premeditated murder of his wife, appellant was sentenced to confinement for life, total forfeitures, reduction to the lowest enlisted grade and a dishonorable discharge. Acting pursuant to a pretrial agreement, the convening authority reduced the term of confinement to 75 years, but otherwise approved the sentence. The Court of Military Review affirmed the findings and sentence without opinion.

Appellant has petitioned this court for a grant of review, contending that his court-martial lacked jurisdiction because the military judge was not appointed under the…