The Verdict
ABBOTT SENTENCED - JANUARY 25, 1956
After seven days of deliberation, the jury returned with its verdict, sentencing Burton Abbott to death for kidnaping and first degree murder. The Examiner said Abbott's "angular face turned the color of wet concrete, and a great artery pulsed madly in his throat." A photographer caught his mother's reaction on film.
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January 26, 1956 (page one) January 26, 1956 (page two) January 26, 1956 (page three) January 26, 1956 (page four) January 26, 1956 (page five) January 26, 1956 (page six)
SAN QUENTIN TRANSFER - FEBRUARY 11, 1956
On February 11, 1956, Burton Abbott was transferred from Alameda County Jail to San Quentin.
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February 12, 1956 (page one) February 12, 1956 (page two)
APPEAL FILED - JULY 17, 1956
Attorney Leo Sullivan filed an appeal on behalf of Burton Abbott with the State Supreme Court. The 162-page document charged the trial court and prosecution with "prejudicial misconduct." While he filed the brief, Elsie Abbott waited in the car.
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July 17, 1956 (page one) July 17, 1956 (page two)
