Jersey Journal/1927/Find Grimaldi Is Guilty Of Manslaughter

Find Grimaldi Is Guilty Of Manslaughter. A verdict of manslaughter carrying with it a sentence of from 10 to 20 years was this afternoon returned by a jury in Oyer and Terminer against Ralph Grimaldi, who for the past two days has been on trial for the killing of Felix Scezesny of 160 Steuben Street. The jury retired at 11:30 and the verdict was arrived at two hours later. This was transmitted to the court when court reconvened at 2 o'clock. Judge Robert V. Kinkead presided. while the State's case was handled by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Aloysius McMahon and Assistant Prosecutor Eric Jentz. Former Congressman James A. Hamill and Thomas Tumulty defended Grimaldi. Judge Kinkead today charged the Jury. Present with Judge Kinkead on the bench was Ocean County's new judge, Arthur Gallagher, who is spending the day with Judge Kinkead in court to look in on how the county courts are handled here. Grimaldi's case closed late yesterday when the defense put on its last witness to show Grimaldi's innocence. He himself, on the stand, admitted that on the evening of October 10, last, after he had bought a couple of rounds of drinks in a candy store at 150 Steuben Street, an argument arose as to who should buy the next round, and that a fight ensued which was continued on the street, and that he took his penknife from his pocket anti stabbed — he did not know how many people. He showed, through the interpreter, that he was fighting for his life when the man now dead and others set upon him in the street and began to beat him. The State, however, tried through its witnesses, to show that there was no provocation for Grimaldi's act and that it was he and not his victim or assailants that were the aggressors.