Johansen

The defendant, William Johansen, was charged in two separate informations with the murder of two human beings in the city and county of San Francisco. In °one information he was charged with the murder of Lena Coffin on the 6th day of April, 1935, and in the other the charge was that he had murdered Irene Chandler, known also as Irene McCarthy, on the 24th day of June, 1940. The two informations were filed on July 18, 1940. Defendant interposed to each information pleas of not guilty, and not guilty *480 by reason of insanity. He subsequently withdrew his pleas of not guilty and waived a jury, and went to trial on October 14, 1940, before the court on his .pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity. The two cases were consolidated for trial. Prior to the date of trial the court had appointed two alienists, Dr. Tilton E. Tillman and Dr. Margaret H. Smyth, the former a member of the Lunacy Commission and the latter being at the time of her appointment Medical Director and Superintendent of the Stockton State Hospital.

At the close of the evidence the court found the defendant sane and fixed his punishment at death, and thereafter pronounced judgments in each case in accordance with…