Commonwealth v. McGrew

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Bell,

Defendant was convicted of murder in the first degree and the jury fixed the penalty at death. He killed his 3 year old stepson Douglas under very unusual circumstances.

Defendant and Mary Nell McGrew were married in 1948. Their married life was stormy — one week or month would be filled with love and the next with dissension and fighting. Defendant frequently threatened to kill his wife and on at least two occasions they separated due to his excessive drinking, gambling and adulterous conduct with other women. Defendant and his wife finally separated in 1951,…