Volume 15 , Issue 23

George (Kenneth) Root Trial (December 1941)

Marian (Benson) Hatcher emailed us the following information concerning the trial of 1941, where George (Kenneth) Root was on trial for the shooting death of Donald Lee Benson back in December 3, 1941, at the Rose Hill school.

Marian says, "I have several articles copied from the newspaper. No one thought to include the date. One does have a photo "courtesy Wichita Beacon." My brother died in Achenbach Memorial Hospital in Hardtner, Kansas. The copy is poor quality, but that was in December of 1941. The date of the shooting was recorded in the Wichita Beacon by Brooks Bicknell, special correspondent, as December 3, 1941. He (George Kenneth Root) was tried in District Court, and given life in prison by a jury of men after deliberating 3 1/2 hours.

"In a separate article it was reported the Gov. Roy J. Turner was asked to grant a parole for George Roots (23), who was serving life for the murder of Donald E. Benson in 1941. The state board recommended the parole. The article is cut short, so no record of whether the parole was granted or not. I remember that the parole was granted, with the stipulation that Kenneth was never to come to Oklahoma. Bill Gruber was the County Attorney who prosecuted the trial. Ken Greer was the sheriff. Root served only 7 years. "Donald's middle name was Lee, not E. I guess George was Kenneth's first name, but I don't know for sure.

Bill Gruber became an FBI agent. I think Brooks Bicknell was the editor of the Alva Review Courier. Or maybe just a reporter, but as small as Alva was, I doubt that they even had a reporter."   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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