Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 298, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1914 — McCOY INDICTED FOR MANSLAUGHTER [ARTICLE]

McCOY INDICTED FOR MANSLAUGHTER

Man Who Killed Wife and Wrecker of Home at Frankfort Will Escape Severe Punishment. Frankfort, Dec. 15.—William McCoy, who killed his wife, Norma McCoy, and her paramour, John Byerley, at the McCoy home on December 1, will not be tried for murder in any degree of that crime, as had been expected. The Clinton county grand jury, which investigated the crime, submitted a partial report last evening to Judge Coi>bs, returning two indictments against McCoy, chaiging him with manslaughter. One indictment charges him with killing Nonna McCoy and the other with killing John Byerley. In the language of the indictments McCoy “purposely, willfully, but without malice killed” his wife and Byerley. The indictment of McCoy for man slaughter saves him from the electric chair or even life imprisonment, the penalties that the law prescribes for murder. Conviction upon the charge of manslaughter carries with it an indeterminate prison .sentence of two to twenty-onle years. The indictment does not charge McCoy with premeditation in the commission of the crime, consequently his attorneys will not have to defend him against any change Of that kind. The indictment of McCoy for manslaughter was a disappointment to the state’s attorneys, who had expected the grand jury would indict him for either first, second or third degree murder, conviction for any one of which would have meant a long prison sentence and ‘possibly electrocution for McCoy, Though he took the. lives of two people publie sentiment largely has been with McCoy from the outset, because of the events that led up to and prompted the double homicide. It is expected that McCoy will

have an early trial. The January term of the circuit court begins on Monday, Jan. 11, and his attorneys will ask that the case be set down for trial early in the term, either in January or February.