New Trial Granted in Keil Murder

KEIL, ECKERLEBE, MATLINGER, GEORGE, WIRT, WYNKOOP, WOLFE

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 8/5/2009 at 20:40:58

Waterloo Courier, March 10, 1897

ECKERLEBE GRANTED NEW TRIAL

One of the Jurors Had Expressed An Opinion Adverse to Defendant.

Tuesday, Christian Eckerlebe, convicted by jury of the murder of Mina Keil, was granted a new trial for April 6. The defense opened the argument for a new trial by offering as an amendment to the motion certain alleged statements made by attorneys for the state in the arguments to the jury, that C. S. George said G. Wirt was a man with a bad reputation; that he was the originator of the alibi; that he did so testify for a consideration, and that D. A. Wynkoop said that Eckerlebe ought to die, and that it was the strongest case he had ever seen in his thirty years’ experience as a lawyer. Judge Wolfe held that the evidence in the case warranted the attorneys making such statements, and that they could not be incorporated in the original motion. Defense then proceeded to argue the case on other grounds, and produced affidavits of several people the Geo. Matlinger, one of the jurors, had before his examination for juror expressed the opinion that defendant was guilty, and as shown by the affidavit said opinion was not known to the defendant or his attorneys until after the verdict was returned. On this ground the new trial was granted.