On the night of 25 July 1945, at about 11:50, Judge Lewis V. Trueman and his wife were in their Ogden home at 1543 Twenty-seventh street when a shotgun blast was fired through their kitchen window. Trueman turned on the light in the hallway and together with his wife went to the window of their bedroom to see what was going on. As they did, another shot was fired, striking the judge in the head and neck and killing him.
Austin Cox, who fired the shots, next went to the police station and entered with shotgun in hand. Chambering another round, he announced, “I will kill every son of a bitch in here.” After firing a wild shot, he was subdued and arrested.
Cox had apparently heard his ex-wife was staying at 2240 Lincoln Avenue and had gone there looking for her. They had recently divorced after being married only seven weeks. Once there he killed four and wounded two people before moving on to Trueman’s home and then to the police station. Trueman had presided over the Coxes’ divorce proceedings. Wanda Mae Carter described her ex-husband as “being of a mean and jealous disposition.” She had at one time filed a battery complaint against him, claiming he beat her and threatened to cut out her tongue. He in turn accused her of giving him a venereal disease and of sleeping with other men. Those who had worked with Cox described him as “a person who continuously had fancied grievances” and who felt himself picked on (Ogden Standard Examiner, 24 July 1943).
[p.124]Cox had not appeared at divorce court because he felt he was being persecuted and his “enemies” would prevail against him. He had told others that he would get the judge, the sheriff, two of the deputies, and his wife—that he would “catch the whole bunch together and get them all.” At his trial his wife testified she told him he should not kill. He responded “that he had worked for seven years around the State Mental Hospital of Arizona and that he could ‘beat a murder rap’ because he had been around those ‘nuts’ there enough to feign insanity.”8 Cox’s insanity defense was not successful. He was found guilty of first degree murder without recommendation for leniency and was sentenced to die. After a last meal of strawberries and cream, he was executed by firing squad at 6:00 a.m. on 19 June 1944. The Salt Lake Tribune (9 July 1944) reported that his execution cost $653.
http://signaturebookslibrary.org/hardened-criminals/
Austin Cox, who fired the shots, next went to the police station and entered with shotgun in hand. Chambering another round, he announced, “I will kill every son of a bitch in here.” After firing a wild shot, he was subdued and arrested.
Cox had apparently heard his ex-wife was staying at 2240 Lincoln Avenue and had gone there looking for her. They had recently divorced after being married only seven weeks. Once there he killed four and wounded two people before moving on to Trueman’s home and then to the police station. Trueman had presided over the Coxes’ divorce proceedings. Wanda Mae Carter described her ex-husband as “being of a mean and jealous disposition.” She had at one time filed a battery complaint against him, claiming he beat her and threatened to cut out her tongue. He in turn accused her of giving him a venereal disease and of sleeping with other men. Those who had worked with Cox described him as “a person who continuously had fancied grievances” and who felt himself picked on (Ogden Standard Examiner, 24 July 1943).
[p.124]Cox had not appeared at divorce court because he felt he was being persecuted and his “enemies” would prevail against him. He had told others that he would get the judge, the sheriff, two of the deputies, and his wife—that he would “catch the whole bunch together and get them all.” At his trial his wife testified she told him he should not kill. He responded “that he had worked for seven years around the State Mental Hospital of Arizona and that he could ‘beat a murder rap’ because he had been around those ‘nuts’ there enough to feign insanity.”8 Cox’s insanity defense was not successful. He was found guilty of first degree murder without recommendation for leniency and was sentenced to die. After a last meal of strawberries and cream, he was executed by firing squad at 6:00 a.m. on 19 June 1944. The Salt Lake Tribune (9 July 1944) reported that his execution cost $653.
http://signaturebookslibrary.org/hardened-criminals/
On the night of 25 July 1945, at about 11:50, Judge Lewis V. Trueman and his wife were in their Ogden home at 1543 Twenty-seventh street when a shotgun blast was fired through their kitchen window. Trueman turned on the light in the hallway and together with his wife went to the window of their bedroom to see what was going on. As they did, another shot was fired, striking the judge in the head and neck and killing him.
Austin Cox, who fired the shots, next went to the police station and entered with shotgun in hand. Chambering another round, he announced, “I will kill every son of a bitch in here.” After firing a wild shot, he was subdued and arrested.
Cox had apparently heard his ex-wife was staying at 2240 Lincoln Avenue and had gone there looking for her. They had recently divorced after being married only seven weeks. Once there he killed four and wounded two people before moving on to Trueman’s home and then to the police station. Trueman had presided over the Coxes’ divorce proceedings. Wanda Mae Carter described her ex-husband as “being of a mean and jealous disposition.” She had at one time filed a battery complaint against him, claiming he beat her and threatened to cut out her tongue. He in turn accused her of giving him a venereal disease and of sleeping with other men. Those who had worked with Cox described him as “a person who continuously had fancied grievances” and who felt himself picked on (Ogden Standard Examiner, 24 July 1943).
[p.124]Cox had not appeared at divorce court because he felt he was being persecuted and his “enemies” would prevail against him. He had told others that he would get the judge, the sheriff, two of the deputies, and his wife—that he would “catch the whole bunch together and get them all.” At his trial his wife testified she told him he should not kill. He responded “that he had worked for seven years around the State Mental Hospital of Arizona and that he could ‘beat a murder rap’ because he had been around those ‘nuts’ there enough to feign insanity.”8 Cox’s insanity defense was not successful. He was found guilty of first degree murder without recommendation for leniency and was sentenced to die. After a last meal of strawberries and cream, he was executed by firing squad at 6:00 a.m. on 19 June 1944. The Salt Lake Tribune (9 July 1944) reported that his execution cost $653.
http://signaturebookslibrary.org/hardened-criminals/
Austin Cox, who fired the shots, next went to the police station and entered with shotgun in hand. Chambering another round, he announced, “I will kill every son of a bitch in here.” After firing a wild shot, he was subdued and arrested.
Cox had apparently heard his ex-wife was staying at 2240 Lincoln Avenue and had gone there looking for her. They had recently divorced after being married only seven weeks. Once there he killed four and wounded two people before moving on to Trueman’s home and then to the police station. Trueman had presided over the Coxes’ divorce proceedings. Wanda Mae Carter described her ex-husband as “being of a mean and jealous disposition.” She had at one time filed a battery complaint against him, claiming he beat her and threatened to cut out her tongue. He in turn accused her of giving him a venereal disease and of sleeping with other men. Those who had worked with Cox described him as “a person who continuously had fancied grievances” and who felt himself picked on (Ogden Standard Examiner, 24 July 1943).
[p.124]Cox had not appeared at divorce court because he felt he was being persecuted and his “enemies” would prevail against him. He had told others that he would get the judge, the sheriff, two of the deputies, and his wife—that he would “catch the whole bunch together and get them all.” At his trial his wife testified she told him he should not kill. He responded “that he had worked for seven years around the State Mental Hospital of Arizona and that he could ‘beat a murder rap’ because he had been around those ‘nuts’ there enough to feign insanity.”8 Cox’s insanity defense was not successful. He was found guilty of first degree murder without recommendation for leniency and was sentenced to die. After a last meal of strawberries and cream, he was executed by firing squad at 6:00 a.m. on 19 June 1944. The Salt Lake Tribune (9 July 1944) reported that his execution cost $653.
http://signaturebookslibrary.org/hardened-criminals/
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