Becker’s Second Bite: Cop Convicted of Murder for the Second Time

In a stunning blow to the defendant, Charles E Becker, a former police lieutenant, was found guilty of murder for the second time. This verdict marks a grim end to Becker’s hopes for escape, after his conviction in the 1912 murder of Herman Rosenthal, a notorious gambler. The case had already seen its fair share of drama, with four gunmen paying the ultimate price in the electric chair just a month ago for the actual killing.

The trial’s outcome is a far cry from the confidence Becker and his friends had displayed up until the last appeal. With the verdict delivered on May 22nd, 1914, Becker now faces a bleak future. He will be sentenced next week and then transferred back to the infamous death house at Sing Sing prison, a place he had left in February after the court of appeals granted him a new trial.

Becker’s counsel is certain to file an appeal, which will serve as a stay of execution, giving him more than a year to live and a glimmer of hope for another reversal of the judgment. However, the odds are stacked against him. The verdict is a testament to the relentless pursuit of justice in the city, where the once-respected police officer has now been reduced to a convicted murderer.