ERIC MAREO FOUND GUILTY

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 160, 18 June 1936, Page 5

ERIC MAREO FOUND GUILTY

SECOND TIME CONVICTED FOR MURDER OF WIFE. NO RECOMMENDATION TO JV!EP A CY BY JURY. INTENSE PUBLIC INTEREST IN VERDICT. (Press Associati on—Copyright.) AUCKLAND, Last Night. FOR the second time this year Eric Mareo, well-known musician, of Auckland, had to-night to hear "a jury bring in a verdict of guilty of murder against him, and to listen to the Judge pronouncing sentence of death. There was a very large crowd about the precincts of the Court when the final decision came, at an earlier hour than had been expected. When the first trial on the same charge concluded on February 26 the verdict was of guilty with a A'ery strong recommendation to mercy. No such recommendation was made to-night. The trial began on Tune i and has thus lasted for 14 days. The jury retired at ;.i0 and wis back a few minutes after 8 o'clock. Mareo showed con iderable emotion in the few sentences he addressed to the Court before Mr Justice Callan pronounced the inevitable sentence of death. The charge against Mareo, who is 45 years of age, was that he murdered his wife, Thelma Clarice Mareo, aged 29, at Auckland on April 15 of last year, by administering poison (veronal) to her. The prosecution was by Mr V. R. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, and Mr. F; McCarthy, while Mr. H. F. O'Leary, K.C., and Messrs. T. Henry and K. C. Aekins have been in charge of the defence.