I have a feeling that at the time the trial took place there was so much trust in the cops and maybe a little racism as well as “the defendant is a bad guy anyway” that the jury felt they’d at least nail him for this.
I can understand, and agree to a degree with that sentiment. But if I am on a jury trial, I MUST keep that attitude and information separate. He could be Adolf Hitler, but if the evidence is as you described it, there is no way I’d find him guilty of this particular crime.
You are absolutely right! I can’t rememebr the date, but it was between 1971 to 1974, in Passaic County New Jersey, in Paterson. I’ll never forget one of the older jurors, in a heavy accent theorizing “Maybe he vanted da voman” as a motive.