People v. Lopez

The defendant, Pedro Lopez, was indicted on two counts, in Count I for murder and in Count II for manslaughter. He waived a jury and his bench trial resulted in a finding he was guilty of murder. He was sentenced to the penitentiary for twenty to fifty years.

The defendant had a woman living with him named Stella. They had spent an evening in a tavern, returning home about 11:30 p. m. They had been observed quarreling to some extent in the tavern although not creating any disturbance. On their return home they sat down at a kitchen table on which there lay a knife. According to the defendant’s…