Commonwealth v. Tyrrell

Opinion by

Me. Chief Justice Bell,

Defendant entered a plea of guilty to murder and tbe Court (Judges Palmee and Woodbing), after hearing all the evidence, fixed the crime as murder in the first degree and sentenced defendant to life imprisonment. Defendant contends he had no intent to kill his wife and therefore he was guilty only of murder in the second degree. Because this is a murder case, we shall review the evidence and the applicable principles of law at some length.

Defendant admitted that on the morning of March 7,1960, he shot and killed his wife in their living room with a 20-gauge…