MURDER CHARGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22247, 23 October 1935, Page 16

MURDER CHARGE

THE MAREO CASE GRAND JURY'S TRUE BILL HIS HONOR'S DIRECTION CROWN CASE OUTLINED The, charge against Eric Marco, musician, aged 44. of murdering his wife, Thelma Clarice Mareo, on April 15. was reviewed by Mr. Justice Fair in his charge to the grand jury at tho opening of tho Supreme Court session yesterday. His Honor outlined the Crown case in some detail in order to assist the jury in selecting from more tlian ''so witnesses for the Crown those it considered necessary to hear. His Honor said the Crown would put before them evidence which it alleged fairly/justified the charge being made and presented to the common jury to decide, whether tho accused was guilty of intention to cause his wife's death by veronal poisoning. It might be that the accused had an answer to tho charge. It was true that the law presumed him innocent until the common jury found him guilty, but as far as tho grand jury's conscience was concerned the charge did not require to bo proved before it. Their business was to inquire into the, evidence in support of the case, and if they were satisfied that it justified the charge being made, they would find a true bill. Cause of Death The accused's wife died at 5.30 p.m. on Monday, April 15 last, in the public hospital at Auckland, continued His Honor. Tho cause of her death was veronal poisoning. The average fatal dose of veronal was 50 grains, although death might result from a smaller amount. The evidence would be that veronal was discovered in the deceased's organs after death, and it was estimated that tho quantity taken was about 100 grains. Up to the evening of Friday, April 12, Mrs. Mareo was in normal health and Spirits, and on that evening seemed cheerful and in good health. This evidence was given by her most intimate friend and corroborated by a number of independent witnesses. On the Saturday morning Mrs. Mareo was found by,Marco's son, Graham, standing by her dressing table talking incoherently, swaying and apparently dazed. Tho accused helped Graham to get her back to bed, and she fell into a deep sleep which lasted until 9.30 that, evening. The medical evidence showed that the symptoms displayed throughout Saturday were consistent with veronal poisoning. Her condition in the evening was such that if she had not taken any more veronal she would have recovered without special treatment. ' Cup ol Hot Milk About midnight on Saturday Mrs. Mareo .wasi given a cup of hot milk, ■which, the evidence showed, was prepared hy the accused, said His Honor. Soon after taking this, deceased, who had been recovering consciousness, fell into a deep sleepy exhibiting all the signs of veronal poisoning. During the whole of Sunday Mrs. Mareo lay in that condition. Her friend Miss .Stark said that she urged the accused on the Saturday evening to get a doctor, but he said .to leave it until the Sunday morning. On Sunday she urged him on three occasions to get a doctor, hut he did not do so, saying he had given his wife some medicine and a chemist had told him she could sleep for three or four days without any bad effects.

Doctor Summoned On the Monday morning attempts were made by Graham Mareo and Miss Brownlee to get in touch with Dr. Murphy, but without success. At about 2.15 that afternoon Miss Stark arrived and, finding Mrs. Mareo, as she said, " in a terrible condition," she immediately ran next door and telephoned for Dr.* Dreadon. Dr. Dreadon at onfcd diagnosed veronal poisoning; and ordered Mrs. Mareo to the hospital, where she died at 5.30 p.m. Mareo. gave several statements to the police, and said that his wife had been afraid she was pregnant and had taken medicine, continued His Honor. Mareo told one witness that his wife's death was due to appendicitis. The accused admitted making purchases of bhree bottles of veronal during the three weeks prior to his wife's death. The Crown would produce evidence of quarrels between the Mareos, and of a particularly unpleasant one in February, when Mrs. Mareo left the house, but returned the following day. It would also be said that previous to her death he showed some callousness toward his wife when she was in a nervous state and run down. Final Injunction The Crown had something like 30 witnesses to prove the allegations, but it would not be necessary to hear all those unless the grand jury so desired. They would call as many as they thought necessary to satisfy them that there was a good and sufficient basis for the charge. " I thin* you will find littlo difficulty." said His Honor, "in coming to thq conclusion that the evidence which the Crown puts before you is such as to call for inquiry by the common jury and you will find a true bill. The witnesses who will assist you on that point are Miss Stark, Miss Mareo, Graham Mareo and any one of the medical witnesses." The jury returned a true bill against Mareo.