State v. Durham

This is an original application for a writ of prohibition to restrain the superior court of King county from holding a hearing to determine whether Nelson Durham is a safe person to be at large.

Durham was charged in two counts with the crime of accepting the earnings of a common prostitute. At the time of arraignment, he stood mute and a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf by the court. His counsel thereafter entered, on his behalf, the additional plea of mental irresponsibility, claiming that Durham was mentally irresponsible at the time of the alleged offense, but sane and…