Court Overturns Conviction in Saloon Killing
The Washington Supreme Court grants a new trial to James Murphy, who murdered a bartender for refusing to serve him liquor.
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The supreme court today ordered the judgment reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial in the case of the State of Washington vs. James Murphy. The defendant had been prosecuted for murder in the first degree for killing Phil Davis, a bartender in the Copper Chief saloon in Seattle, after Davis refused to mix him a drink. A jury had returned a verdict for murder in the second degree, leading to a fifteen-year sentence. The supreme court sustained the appeal based on the lower court’s denial of a challenge for cause to a juror who held a prior opinion about the case. The court ruled that 'the mind of the juror must be impartial,' distinguishing a fixed opinion from a 'mere floating impression.'
“Jim Murphy murdered Phil Davis, a bartender in the Copper Chief saloon, Seattle, because Davis, who had been furnishing free liquor to Murphy, refused to mix him a drink.”
This case highlights the enduring, complex relationship between local law enforcement, the judiciary, and the 'Copper Chief' style saloon culture of old Seattle. The public outrage over the lenient sentencing of a murderer who killed a service worker over a refused drink reflects a historical echo of modern debates regarding public safety and judicial accountability.
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