MURDER CHARGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22808, 18 February 1936, Page 6

MURDER CHARGE

TRIAL OF ERIC MAREO OPENING OF CROWN CASE (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 17. Arrested in September last on a charge of wife murder and committed in the lower court in October, Eric Mareo, aged 41, was placed on trial in the Supreme Court to-day before Mr Justice Fair, charged that, on Monday, April 15, 1935, at Auckland, he did murder Thelma Clarice Mareo. The jury was empanelled after seven challenges by the Crown and six by the defence. Mareo pleaded " Not guilty" in a firm voice. The Crown case is being conducted by Mr A. H. Johnstone, K.C., of Auckland, assisted by Mr V. N. Hubble, and the defence by Mr F. O'Leary, K.C., of Wellington, assisted by Mr Trevor Henry and Mr K. C. Aekins.

Kee,n public interest was shown, many women waiting in a queue at the side door. The court was crowded when Mareo's name was called. Dressed in a neat blue striped suit, with his hands on the dock rail, Mareo stood erect while the jury was empanelled. Six jurymen applied for exemption, and four were ■ allowed to go. The court adjourned for half an hour to enable the jurymen to make business and domestic arrangements!, the judge remarking that it was necessary to keep them together during the course of the hearing. Among many police officers in thi court were Sub-inspector Sweeney, Subinspector Scott, and the two detectives who arrested Mareo —Sergeant Meiklejohn and Detective Hamilton. Among the crowd which packed the public part of the, court was a member of the All Blacks, who returned this morninc By permission of the judge, the prisoner sat beside the dock. Mr Johnstone, opening the Grown'* case, said the charge was that the accused murdered his wife by administering poison. The law knew no graver charge, and the jury must give constant attention to the evidence which, for the most part, was circumstantial. The Crown, as in most poisoning cases, was unable to put forward a witness who had seen the accused give his wife poison, or even anyone who had seen him adulterate her food with it. As a result of previous proceedings, a certain amount of pub licity had already been given, but the jury must endeavour to rid, their minds of all they might have read or heard. The accused Was an accomplished musical composer and director. He married in England a woman named Mrs Grey, and by that marriage had one son, but that Mrs Mareo had a daughter by a former marriage, who wag generally known in the family as Betty. This Mrs Mareo died in England in 1928. In 1931 the accused left England for Sydney, where he was employed as a conductor of an orchestra until 1933, with the Ernest Rolls Revue Company. Among the mem bers of that company wae a young woman, Thelma Clarice Trott, aged 27, a graduated B.A. of Queensland University. She npparently sang and acted well, for she was a semi-principal. The accused and Miss Trott were married in Wellington and then left the company and came to Auckland to reside.

They lived in a boarding house in the city, and then kept house at Buekland'e Beach, where Betty, and Graham, his son, joined them. A few mouths later they returned to the city and took up housekeeping at No. 1 Tenderden avenue, Mount Eden, where Mra Mareo carried out all the duties of a housewife until her last illness; but for 10 days in September and October, 1934, she took a leading part of a light opera," The Duchess of Danzig," at His Majesty's, the accused conducting the orchestra. Later he conducted an orchestra in a city theatre until the end of March last, after which he had no regular employment, and no assured source of income.

Among the acquaintances of the Mareo family was Miss Freda Stark, formerly a member of the Ernest Kolls Revue Company, and Mrs Mareo's closest friend; and also Miss Eleanor Brownlee, a pupil and a member of Mareo's orchestra, who became pianist in his theatre orchestra and private secretary at a salary of about 10a a week. There seemed to have been a considerable degree of intimacy. J-hey went out in the car together and she spent week-ends at Mareo's house —it was said tcvhelp him with the work of writing scenarios. She also did up his shirts and ties. It was the Crown's submission that the married life of the accused-and his wife was very unhappy. Mareo said in a statement to the police that they did not live as man and wife. He also said she drank two bottles of sherry every day, and two weeks before her death suffered severely from appendicitis; but a post : mortem examination showed no signs ot it.

The quarrels between Mareo and his wife were referred to by Mr Johnstone, and the use of objectionable terms by accused; and also a scene one Saturday night when Mareo returned home intoxicated, and Miss Brownlee was making up a bed to stay the night. Counsel also referred to various purchases of veronal by the accused from different chemists, stating that within a fortnight lie bought a mixture and pills for his wife, and also 57 other tablets of barbitone, or veronal. Mrs Mareo was insured for £35, but no claim had been made for the money. Mr Johnstone said witnesses would testify to Mrs Mareo's good health up to April 11. Counsel described the fatal illness and Miss Stark's efforts to induce Mareo to send for a doctor. Mr Johnstone then dealt with the postmortem findings and said that the medical evidence would be that there was a clear indication that Mrs Mareo had taken a fatal dose of veronal. Dr W. Gilmour, pathologist, would say that there were no signs of alcohol. That did not prove that she did not take alcohol, but there were no signs of what one would expect from a person who consumed two bottles a day. " Medical witnesses will tell you that Mrs Mareo Jied of veronal poisoning,"' declared Mr Johnstone. " She may have had, according to the story told to Miss Bransgrove and Miss Evans, a dose on Friday night and one on Saturday morning from which she awoke on Saturday night, another dose on Saturday night and possibly another. We say that Saturday night's dose was administered by the accused. He bad veronal in his possession in large quantities and lie had the opportunity to give it to her. We submit that when you have heard the evidence you will have no difficulty in finding that he gave her all the doses." Elizabeth Patricia Mareo, aged 21, described how she came to Auckland at the request of her father, the accused. She did not get on very well with Mrs Mareo, and some weeks before Mrs Mareo's death witness left. Witness visited the Tenterden avenue house a week after Mrs Mareo died. Witness took the labels off two bottles threw the labels away or burnt them. She thought one of the labels had barbitone on it. Witness threw the bottles out too because she thought that no one was supposed to purchase veronal and that the chemists would get into trouble. Witness remembered Mrs Mareo being in bed for about three weeks on one occasion. She thought Mrs' Mareo had been drinking. Mrs Mareo had a "dead set" against doctors, and when one had been suggested by witness Mrs Mareo objected, but would not give a reason. Witness said she had on occasions discussed- things with Mrs Mareo, who had said that if she ever thought she was going to have a babyshe would kill herself. Witness said this appeared to her to be an obsession on Mrs Mareo's part. Witness had seen Mrs Mareo under the influence of liquor more than once. Witness had discussed this drinking with Miss Stark. Witness had seen Mrs Mareo in such a state that she implored somebody to get her soma brandy. Witness was commissioned to get it. When witness first met Miss Brownlee the latter was studying music with witness's father. Mis« Brownlee was pianist in an orchestra. Miss Brownies was very good to them all when she visited them. Witness had never seer, any sign of affection between Miss Brownlee and the accused. The hearing was adjourned.