Raymond Alien Snowden, Defendant, pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree. The District Court, 3rd Judicial District, Ada County, entered judgment and the sentence of death, and Snowden appealed. The Supreme Court, held that where it appeared that upon being struck by Cora Lucyle Dean, Snowden deliberately opened up his pocket knife, cut the woman’s throat, and then hacked and cut until he killed her, and expended himself, imposition of the death sentence was not an abuse of discretion by the trial court. Affirmed.

Facts

The victim, Cora Lucyle Dean, was stabbed to death September 22, 1956, in Garden City, Idaho.

Defendant Snowden had been playing pool and drinking in a Boise pool room early in the evening.

With a companion, one Carrier, he visited a club near Boise, then went to nearby Garden City. There the two men visited a number of bars, and defendant had several drinks. Their last stop was the HiHo Club.....

1. How does the court define the terms “willful,” “Deliberate,” and “premeditated”?

2. Sort and arrange the facts of the case according to the definitions of the three terms in (1).

3. In your opinion, did Ray Snowden commit firstdegree murder?

4. Assuming Snowden is guilty of first-degree murder, should he be sentenced to death? Consider the lists of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in the “The Death Penalty” section (pp. 334–35). Which items on the list might apply to him? Explain your answer, based on the facts in the case.