CROWN CASE ENDS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19038, 11 June 1936, Page 15

CROWN CASE ENDS

RETRIAL OF ERiC MAREO START OF TENTH DAY COUNSEL ADDRESSES JURY ALTERNAT!VES SUGGESTED (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. The evidence for the prosecution was completed this morning when the Supreme Court commenced its tenth day in the re-trial of Eric Mareo, aged 4o years, musician, who is charged with having murdered his wife, Thclma Clarice Mareo, aged 29 years, by administering a hypnotic drug. Detective Hamilton corroborated Detective Meiklejohn's account oi the interview with Marco on the night of Mrs. Marco's death. The accused had said: "I've had a double whisky and have got a bottle of brandy in the car to make me slceii to-night. 1 feel like doing myself iu."

When reading his statement over, the accused had said: "Do you think anything in this will hungt meV" Cross-examined by Mr. K. C. Aekins, counsel for the defence, Detective Hamilton said that while giving his first statement the accused had said quite often in an affectionate way: "Poor darling," and "Poor dear.''

To His Honour, the witness said that Marco was perfectly sober at the time he gave the first statement, although he said he had just had a double whisky. "Under the circumstances I expected to see him much more excited than he was," the witness added.

SHOWED EXCITABIL LTY Replying to the Crown Prosecutor, Mr. V. R. 'Meredith, the detective said that Mareo showed excitability when he was asked if he had given his wife veronal. The last witness for the Crown, Detective J. B. McLean, gave corroborative evidence, lie added that when the accused was reading the first statement, hehad said: "Reading this thing through. I. would just as quickly go out and hang by my own hand." ' After Mr. T. Henry's cross-examina-tion. Mr. Meredith announced that the prosecution was completed. Replying to His Honour, Mr. H. F. O'Leary, counsel for the defence, said he intended to call witnesses for the defence.

Opening the case for the defence, Mr. O'Leary asked the jury not to be influenced bv the fact that the Court of Appeal did not. grant a- new trial. There was no new evidence before the Court of Appeal, but the Executive Council had before it new evidence—which the jurv would hear—and granted a. new trial.

NO DOUBT OF CAUSE "There is no doubt that Mrs. Mareo died of veronal poisoning." said Mr O'Leary. "The question is how did the veronal get into her body! Did she take it herself? Did Marco'give it to her? Did Miss Freda Stark give it to her? Did Graham Mareo give it to her? "From these four alternatives, the Crown selects one—that Eric Mareo was responsible for his wife's death."' Mareo in all his statements had denied giving veronal to his wife, continued Mr. O'Leary. The likely of the four alternatives was that Mrs. Marco took it herself, either by accident or desire, either by misadventure, or with the intention of bringing about her death. The defence suggested that she had a medicinal dose on the Friday, certainly a dose on the Saturday morning, and that on the Saturday night she got- up, or perhaps did not' get up, that she took a dose, all that was available.

The defence contended it was not necessary for her to have a dose, on the Saturday night, 'and would call Dr. Pagett, who would tell of a case in Tarauaki where a sufferer who had taken veronal went into a state of coma and later roused, to lapse subsequently again and die without, having any more veronal, much to the surprise of the medical men interested in the case.

WITNESS FROM AUSTRALIA Continuing, Mr. O'Leary said that the defence would call Alexander Whitington, an accountant, of Adelaide, who knew Mrs. Mareo, then Thelma Trott, as a member of a variety company visiting Adelaide in April of 1929, and would say that on at least 12 occasions he saw her take, veronal tablets, lie remonstrated with her, but she said she took I hem to induce sleep. In October of 1931, he saw her in Melbourne and agiain saw her taking veronal, lie saw an account of the opening of the Mareo trial iu the Adelaide papers in February Inst and consulted a barrister, and later communicated with Mr. O'Leary.

There were also some people named Piano connected with the Ernest Bolls Revue Company. Mrs. Riano felt bundled to come forward to testify that Tlielma Troll took sleeping drugs. Other witnesses would be a Mr. Beattie, a schoolmaster near Marlon, who would tell of his experiences when he had been prescribed veronal: also a Mr. and Mrs. Meissner, of llaveloek North, who would describe Mrs. Mc.isaner's experience when prescribed harbltone.

Mr. O'Leary attacked the medical evidence and said he would call a Wellington doctor to refute the evidence that Mrs. Mareo must have had a dose on the Saturday night. Mr. O'Leary concluded his address at the adjournment of the court. Tor luncheon.