‘Lonely Hearts’ Murder Conviction
NEW YORK, Thu. (11.30 a.m.)—The so-called “lonely hearts” murder trial, which lasted almost 11 weeks, ended today with the conviction of Martha Beck. 29, and Raymond Fernandez, 34, on a charge of having murdered Mrs Janet Fay, 60, a widow, on January 4. The state prosecutor alleged that Mrs Beck hit Mrs Fay over the head with a hammer and that Fernandez then strangled her with a scarf. The police alleged that Beck and Fernandez murdered Mrs Fay in New York, and two others in Michigan, whose acquaintances they made through “lonely hearts” matrimonial advertisements. Today’s New York verdict eliminated any need for a trial in Michigan, where Beck and Fernanaez had been charged with the murder of a widow and her three-year-old daughter. Beck admitted having drowned the child in a bathtub after Fernandez had killed the mother.
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Northern Advocate, 19 August 1949, Page 5
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143‘Lonely Hearts’ Murder Conviction Northern Advocate, 19 August 1949, Page 5
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