LOOKING BACK TO 1968: THE MOUNTCASTLE MURDER TRIAL
For a week in 1968, Butler Eagle readers followed the sensational murder trail of Jane Ann Mountcastle, 24, of Zelienople, who was accused of shooting her husband, John W. Mountcastle, on Nov. 15, 1967, in front of his Cranberry Township apartment.
The jury of five men and seven women believed the tale of the young woman, who said she feared for her life when her mentally distressed 26-year-old husband pushed into her car, put his hand around her neck and drove off after meeting at a restaurant to sign divorce papers.
She claimed the recently-purchased .38-caliber revolver accidentally when off when she struggled to free herself.
The trial revealed the story of a couple who secretly married while in college and had a son together. It outlined how that marriage turned stormy as John Mountcastle’s behavior became more violent and aggressive, according to testimony.
Jane Ann Mountcastle was vindicated on April 27, 1968, after three hours of deliberation by the jury. Presiding was Judge George Kiester.
The Butler Eagle article by Dick Rau said, “The minute which elapsed while the verdict slip was turned over to the jurist apparently seemed like an eternity to the defendant, whose apprehension showed clearly.”
