New York Court of Appeals
The People of the State of New York v. John Harris, Appelant
March 4, 1954306 N.Y. 345
Summary
The New York Court of Appeals affirmed the felony murder conviction, holding that the circumstantial evidence and the defendant's admissions were sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he strangled the victim and that the killing occurred during a rape or attempted rape. The court applied the established test that proof must logically point to the defendant's guilt and exclude reasonable hypotheses of innocence.