The PEOPLE v. Melquist

The defendant, Charles Melquist, was tried by jury in the circuit court of Du Page County and convicted of the crime of murder. The jury set the penalty at 99 years in the penitentiary. We have issued a writ of error to review the judgment of conviction.

The defendant, who was 21 years of age, was charged with killing one Bonnie Scott. The evidence showed that Bonnie, a 15-year-old girl, left her home on September 22, 1958 at approximately 7 P.M. She was never seen alive after that time but on November 15 her body was discovered in a wooded area about 30 feet away from a highway. The body was…