KIETZMAN, Edna Lucille - murdered
Source: Kingman Star Friday, August 1, 1947
Editor’s Note—Miss Keitzman was a sister to Donald Keitzman, who was once employed on the Jacob Fox farm and the Lawrence York farm near Pence, Indiana.
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Urbana—declaring he could not bring himself to sentence a 17 year old boy to death, Circuit Judge Charles E. Keller imposed a 150 year sentence on Pvt. Socorro Villagran for the May 13 slaying of Edna Lucille Kietzman, 21. The attractive Rantoul beauty operator was the daughter of Mrs. Louise Kietzman and the late Otto Kietzman of Rankin.
Villagran, of San Pedro, Calif., stationed at Chanute Field near Rantoul, had pleaded innocent but waived a jury trial. The youth, weeping constantly, testified as the defense’s only witness.
The body of Miss Kietzman was found stabbed and strangled in an alley a few doors from her rooming house. A six foot length of clothesline was wrapped twice around her neck and she had been stabbed in the side and beaten in the face. State’s Attorney John J. Bresse said previously that Villagran had admitted the slaying.
Terming the youth a “poor homeless boy”, Defense Attorney Roy R. Cline asked for a life sentence.
In pronouncing sentence, Judge Keller said, “There has been no denial of guilt. But I do not believe there was premeditation in this crime. I could not bring myself to sentence a 17 year old boy to death. Taking his age into consideration, I am removing him from society with a sentence of 150 years in the penitentiary.” The defense made a motion for a new trial, but waived argument on it and the motion was overruled. The trial lasted two days. – thanks to “S”