CHICAGO CRIME

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 68, 13 December 1933, Page 9

CHICAGO CRIME

Dr. Wynekoop’s Son Released STRANGE MURDER CASE (Received December 12, 7 p.m.) Chicago, December 11. Earle Wynekoop was released to-day from a charge of being an accessory before the fact in connection with the murder of his wife Rheta. His mother, Dr. Alice Wynekoop, remained in her cell charged with the ■murder. Dr. Alice Wynekoop confessed to the Chicago police last month that she fired a bullet at the heart of her daughter-in-iaw Rheta while Rheta lay unconscious, Breaking down after nearly three days exhausting examination, the aged physician stated that she administered chloroform to Rheta while examining her for a pelvic pain, of which the girl complained. , Dr. Wynekoop said that she had gone to the surgical office in the basement of the house, where she found Rheta, partly unclad, weighing herself. The girl complained of severe pains. The doctor placed her on the operating table and began administering chloroform in order to ease the pain and facilitate examination. Her da.ughter-in-law finally, lost con* sciousness and, after 25 minutes, the doctor tried to revive her. Realising that the girl was losing ground, the doctor said that she became panic-stricken. All the events of my life flashed through my mind,” she said. “I thought of a pistol in the adjoining room.” .Fearful jf blame for killing the girl with an anaesthetic, she said she obtained the revolver and fired the shot in the shoulder-blade through the girl’s heart. The confession was so worded that tne police declared Dr. Wynekoop wished the slaying to appear as “mercy killing,' hut they declare, however, that new evidence indicated that/the girl was chloroformed after being shot. Before the confession Earle Wynekoop, husband of the deceased Rheta, confronted with his mother, wept and hid his face on her shoulder and cried: “For Gods sake, mother, if you did this because ot the love between us, go ahead and confess.” The case took an extraordinary turn later when Earle Wynekoop completely repudiated his mother's confession and insisted that he alone committed the murder He was arrested and charged wi,n murder, but the police were unable to substantiate his confession. Police officers were of opinion that th’S astounding situation was the result of an unusual degree of affection between mother and son. with each trying to protect the other. „ It was. believed there would be great difficulty in determining which was telling the truth, if either.