Commonwealth v. Smith

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Pomeroy,

At approximately 9:00 A.M. on Sunday, April 20, 1909, Bobby Jean Petty was fatally shot through the head at her mother’s apartment in Philadelphia. The incident was immediately reported to the police who broadcast a city-wide radio alert, describing appellant and his automobile. About 9:20 A.M. appellant was observed by a detective, and after a high-speed chase along the Schuylkill Expressway was stopped and arrested about four miles from the scene of the crime. A .38 calibre pistol, later identified as the murder weapon, was recovered from the front seat of his…