People v. Cooke

On the night of March 18, 1966, the defendant shot and killed Floyd Hobell, the brother-in-law, and seriously wounded Robert Hook, the brother, of one Barbara Burns, a married woman with whom defendant had been keeping company. He was convicted of the murder of Hobell and acquitted of the attempted murder of Hook in a jury trial in the Circuit Court of St. Clair County. After overruling his post-trial motion, the trial court sentenced the defendant to a minimum of fourteen years and a maximum of twenty years in the penitentiary. Defendant appeals.

The defendant contends that “the jury verdict…