Watkins v. Zerbst

The trial court denied a petition for a writ of habeas corpus which is bottomed upon the proposition * that appellant was convicted of having conspired four times, when in fact, he conspiped but once to commit four crimes.

Three indictments charged different substantive offenses growing out of a mail robbery in Chicago. Two indictments each contained a count charging appellant with conspiracy to commit the substantive offenses, and one indictment contained two such conspiracy counts. The appellant was found not guilty of the substantive offenses, but guilty of the conspiracies charged. The…