State v. Lapage
Supreme Court of New Hampshire
From Merrimack Circuit Court. _ Indictment, charging the respondent with the murder of Josie A. Langmaid, who was killed October 4, 1875, about nine o’clock in the morning, while passing over the Academy road, in Pembroke, on her way to school. Her head was severed from her body, and removed a distance of a quarter .of a mile. Another part of her body, including one half or two thirds of the vagina, was cut out and carried away, and was never recovered.
Read the full summary
From Merrimack Circuit Court. _ Indictment, charging the respondent with the murder of Josie A. Langmaid, who was killed October 4, 1875, about nine o’clock in the morning, while passing over the Academy road, in Pembroke, on her way to school. Her head was severed from her body, and removed a distance of a quarter .of a mile. Another part of her body, including one half or two thirds of the vagina, was cut out and carried away, and was never recovered. No post-mortem examination of the body was made, with a view to ascertaining whether the victim had been violated. The government claimed…
1Concurrence
"All murder committed * * * in perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate rape * * * is murder in the first degree." Gen. Stats., ch. 264, sec. 1. The State claimed (1) that the prisoner murdered Josie A. Langmaid; and (2) that the murder was committed in perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate upon her the crime of rape. Both these facts were put in issue by the plea of not guilty. It was for its supposed bearing on the second issue that the testimony of Julienne Rousse was admitted; and the judge who charged the jury guarded against any other application of that evidence, so far as a…
2Cases cited3 opinions
- State v. KnappSupreme Court of New Hampshire · 1863
- State v. RentonSuperior Court of New Hampshire · 1844
- State v. PrescottSupreme Court of New Hampshire · 1856