MAREO CASE

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 129, 2 June 1936, Page 11

MAREO CASE

ALLEGED WIFE MURDER

VERONAL POISONING

EETEIAL AT AUCKLAND

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, This Day

At the retrial of Eric Mareo for alleged murder by poisoning of Thelma Clarice Mareo, his wife, Mr. Meredith, for the Crown, referred to the calling of Dr. Dreardon on the Monday afternoon. The doctor formed the opinion that there had been an overdose of some drug. Mrs. Mareo was then sent to hospital, but treatment was unavailing and she died. A post-mortem was held next day, when it was found that all the organs were healthy. An examination by the Government analyst disclosed traces of veronal.

Mr. Meredith said that two witnesses would be called who would say definitely that Mareo told them he had given his wife veronal on the Friday night. They would also say that Mareo said to them on the morning following his wife's death: "I am really frightened. They won't hang me, will

they''" On September 2, said Mr. Meredith, Mareo was arrested. When the warrant was read over to him he said: "Really? On what evidence? This is ridiculous. What evidence have you "Mareo married his wife eighteen months ago," said Mr. Meredith. 'She then had £500, and he admits getting £400 of that. Just before his wife s death Mareo was financially embarrassed. He now had no use for his wife and called her a Lesbian and a drunkard. He had found someone else more useful to him, and according to his own statements his wife was of no use to him either sexually or socially. Mareo had made various explanations as to why he had not got a doctor, continued counsel. He first said it was because of medicine he had obtained for her, and then said he believed she was only in a drunken sleep. He had made no attempt to get a doctor even when his wife was in a ghastly condition on the Monday, and it was only when Freda Stark arrived in the afternoon that a doctor was obtained. The inference was that Mareo never really wanted his wife to The hearing was adjourned. EVIDENCE COMMENCED THE PROCEEDINGS TODAY

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, This Day. When the Court resumed in the trial of Mareo today, evidence was given by a grocer, Adam James Copeland, and his assistant, Kenneth James Bark, that a week before her death Mrs. Marco was in her usual health. Replying to Mr. Henry, the witness Bark said that he did not remember her being in a nervous condition at any time in 1935. A civil servant, Hubert William Edward Smith, a friend of the Mareos, said he visited the house about twice monthly- He had once seen Mrs. Mareo drink half, a cup of light wine. On the Thursday before her death he saw her standing on a rail at the back of the house picking beans. Mareo mentioned to witness after his wife s death that she used to drink. • Cross-examined by Mr. O'Leary, the witness said he did not remember Mrs. Mareo visiting a doctor in March, 1935. He had not seen her. in a highly nervous and irritable condition in March, nor in a state of nervous exhaustion. He had heard that she fainted towards the end of the "Duchess of Danzig operatic performance. He knew ol Mareo's project to film the story "Plume of the Arawas," and Mareo had said that his wife was to take the lead, ing part. She was an excellent actress and would be an asset to any company. He had never heard of her being laid up in bed for a number of days.

DAUGHTER IN THE BOX. Elizabeth Patricia Mareo (21), known as Betty Mareo, said that she was horn in England and went to Australia in 1931 with Marea and her brother Graham. Her mother died in England in 1928. When Mareo went to New Zealand with a revue company, witness and her brother remained in Sydney. They learned later that Mareo had married Thelma Trott in Wellington. Witness and her brother came to Auckland and lived with Mareo and his wife, first at Bucklands Beach and later in Tenterden Avenue. A fortnight before Mrs. Mareo's death witness left the house (she had not got on very well with Mrs. Mareo), and took a position. She paid occasional visits. „ ~ ,„ She was there on Friday, April 12, arriving at 5.45 p.m. Mareo and Graham were there. Mrs. Mareo was in bed but got up. All gave a hand to get the evening meal. Witness went next door after tea and on her return Daddy told her that Mrs. Mareo had washed the dishes. Before witness left Daddy gave her a letter. On the envelope was written "Not to be opened unless you hear of my death." He appeared worried about Thelma, saying he wanted to get her away for a holiday. ' REMOVAL OF BOTTLE LABELS. Some people had asked Mrs. Mareo away for Easter, the witness continued, and Mareo was trying to' persuade her to go. Mrs. Mareo was ill frequently when witness was in the house. She always complained of her appendix. After her death Witness started to clean up the house. There were present Mareo, Graham, Eleanor Brownlee, and two detectives. Witness removed two labels from bottles. One was marked barbitone and both had chemists' names. Witness destroyed the labels, after she had removed them with hot water, and threw the bottles in the dustbin. She removed the labels to prevent the chemists getting into trouble. Veronal was mentioned to witness for the first time when she was being interviewed by detectives. It was the first time she knew that veronal and barbitone were the same thing. The matter had not been discussed by the household. Cross-examined by Mr. O'Leary the witness said that on the Friday evening Mrs. Mareo got up but took no part in preparing the evening meal. She passed along the corridor twice but witness did not meet her during

that visit. She was not on good terms with her stepmother, but she was not exactly on bad terms. It was not a case of never speaking to each other. The contents of the letter given to her that evening by Mare- had been investigated by solicitors and found to be true. Witness removed the labels from the bottles entirely on her own initiative and' on the spur of the moment. One day while looking in a trunk in the washhouse for a box of paints she found a photograph of Freda Stark naked. Miss Brownlee was a frequent visitor to the house as she and Marco were writing the scenario for a film. Production of the film could not very well have gone on without Thelma Mareo. The Court adjourned for luncheon.