WESTPORT MURDER CASE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 97, 21 May 1909, Page 2

WESTPORT MURDER CASE.

JOXNELLY I'OUXD UI'ILTY OF ,MAXSLAUGHTEU. SENTENCED TO 10 YEAK>S. By Telegraph.—-Press Association, Christohurch, Last Xight. The Westport murder trial war? continued to-day. Messrs Hanlon and Stringer address* ?d the jury, and his Honor summed up favorable to tho Crown's' theory' that I'onneily was guilty of manslaughter. The following issues were submitted to the jnry, which retired at 5.30 p.m.: (1) Is accused guilty or not guilty? If yes (2), is he guilty of murder? or (3) is he guilty of manslaughter? (4) If you find him guilty of either then do you find it is proved thnt he wart assisted as alleged in hi*' original written statement? The jury returned at 8.53 p.m., with the replies to Xo. l,"(Uiilty": to Xo. 2. "Xot guilty of murder"; to Xo. 3 ; 'CJniltv of manslaughter"; and* to Xo. 4, "Xo." The jury added they desired to express a very strong recommendation to mercy. The pi'isouer stated he 'yas 19 years of age and had nothing to wy why sentence s'hould not be passed on him. Ilia Honor, said, addressing Connelly, that after a very careful trial in respect to which he (Connelly) had received every assistance that he could expect from counsel, -he had been found guilty of manslaughter. The jury had also found that he had failed to establi&h. the defence he had set up that Hallinvn and Andersen had been with him. Considering the history of the case, his' Honoi thought .he ought to express his en tire concurrence with the jury on at points. K had been impossible to lister to evidence in the ease without coming to the conclusion that the verdict of the Hokitika jury was justified, and it wsu clear that the true account of the trans notion was that disclosed in the confes' sion which prisoner had somewhat he latedly made. 'J'hv jnry had taken f favorable view of prisoner's action. Ti recommending him to mercy they niusi be assumed to have found that prisonei acted possibly under the influence oJ liquor, and certainly without any realis ation of the consequence of his brutal ity. To that and to prisoner's' age hi; Honor thought lie ought to pjjvif nlTeet: prisoner's offence haOltti a very serious one indeed. Young a* ho was he had already luul a enrc»i»r o: crime. He (.his Honor) must inflict > substantial sentence which to some ox tent would go beyond one? he was al ready serving. His Honor a'entenccd pri soner to ten years' imprisonment, sen tenee to be concurrent with the sentence imposed on him for perjury. His Honoi thanked the jury for the obvious can (ind attention they had brought to thi? very important case. Tt would pro bably ibe a satisfaction to them to fee! that their verdict conformed with the previous verdict and placed bevond al reasonable doubt the true nature of the transaction, and of finally removing an\ stigma at,tac.hbg to Hallinvn and Ander s'en. Their verdict attached no stio-m: to the jury which dealt with the case ir Kelson: