THE MELUN MURDER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20431, 11 June 1928, Page 8

THE MELUN MURDER

SENSATIONAL TRIAL CLOSES. INMPRISONMENT FOR ACCUSED. (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) PARIS, June 8. (Received June 10, at 5.5 p.m.) Sensationalism attended the Mestorino trial to the end, when the jury returned a verdict of guilty under extenuating circumstances, and a sentence was imposed of imprisonment with hard labour for life, probably on Devil’s Island. When the jury retired Mestorino threw up his arms and cried for mercy. He again went into a dead faint when the jury called the judge to the room for an assurance that the death sentence would not be imposed ,in the event of extenuating circumstances being found. The Truphene family was awarded £IOOO. In a post-verdict the judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Charnaux on a charge of aiding to conceal the body and receiving stolen jewels. She was arrested in the street and locked up. v Mestorino recovered somewhat when he learned that he had not been sentenced to death. His wife, on hearing the sentence, attempted suicide by poison in an ante room. She was sent to hospital, and is now recovering.— Australian Press Association. After being questioned for nearly 20 hours—from 9 a.m. to 4.30 a.m.—with only brief intervals for meals, a jeweller names Mcsterino confessed to the murder of Gaston Truphene at Melun. He was exhausted mentally and physically at the close of the examination. The police, two at a time, took turns at flinging questions at him until his resistance ended, and he murmured, “ Yes, lam the man. For pity’s sake give me a rest.” He then collapsed. Mestorino admitted that he sold two of Truphene’s jewels in order to pay a garage keeper 13,000 fr to give evidence that Mestonno’s car had not left the garage.