An engineer whose job it was to time the traffic lights correctly, particularly in high volume areas such as those roads near the Inner Harbor, was tried for the murder of his twelve-year-old niece, whom he had always claimed was his favorite. In court, he could offer no explanation for why he had strangled the girl, but he assured the judge and jury that he did it with the greatest of ease. When the prosecutor pressed the issue, the engineer remained placid and simply insisted that he had committed the act without hesitation or compunction. The jury had no choice but to declare him innocent on terms of insanity.
