MURDER CHARGE

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 176, 13 April 1923, Page 5

MURDER CHARGE

VICTORIAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE

ADMISSION OF A BOARDER

BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION. —COPYBIGHT. Melbourne, April 12. David Kelly, alii s O’Keefe, was committed for trial on a charge of murdering Mrs. Overall at Millgrove, near Warburton, in June last year Tho won a i disappeared suddenly, and inquiries led to the arrest of Kelly, who while under detention made a confession, which the police produced in evidence. Acc.rdr.g to this, Kelly, who war boarding vith Mrs. Overall., arranged to pay her £2 a week for life as the value of her propertv. Later, the woman lull ill, and Kelly arranged to send her to hospital. Before this could be done she died, and Kelly, according to his confession, thereupon became frightened and burned the body m a paddock and threw the ashes into the river Yarra. He informed inquirers that he had bought the property for £lOOO, and i hat the woman had gone tiwav, he did not know where. When-first interrogated he told the police that he had got no receipts for the purchase. Later he produced two for £5OO each, signed by .Mrs. Overall but he subsequently stated that he had forged the signature. The police found pieces of charred bones in the river and also traces where the body had allegedly been, burned. The police, in further evidence, stated .that Kelly, under the name of O’Keefe, had lived with a woman. Mary McGrath, in the Bacchus Marsh district prior to boarding with Mrs. Overall. McGrath suddenly disappeared. and had not since been heard of. When questioned regarding McGrath Kelly said: “You don’t want to rake that” up against me now.” —Press Assn.