DESPAIRING CRY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 376, 9 June 1928, Page 9

DESPAIRING CRY

“MERCY,” CALLS PRISONER, THEN FAINTS HARD LABOUR FOR LIFE (United P.A. —By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian Press Association) Reed. 12.30 p.m. PARIS, Friday. Sensationalism attended the Mestorino murder trial to its end. Mestorino, a jeweller, was charged with murdering a jeweller’s assistant | named Truphene. The body of the latter was discovered bound and burned at the side of a road at Melun | on March 1. The jury returned a verdict of guilty in extenuating circumstances. The sentence was hard labour for life, probably at Devil’s Island. When the jury was retiring Mestorino threw up his arms and cried “Mercy” and fainted. The jury called the Judge to its room, for the assurance that the death sentence would not he imposed in the event of a verdict of -ext / lating circumstances. The Truphene family was also awarded £ 1,000. After the verdict, the Judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Charnaux on a charge of aiding to conceal the body, and receiving stolen jewels. Sin* was arrested in the street, and locked up. Mestorino recovered somewhat when he learned there was no death sen tence. His wife hearing the sentence, attempted suicide with poison in an anteroom. She was taken to hospital and is recovering. Mestorino earlier confessed that Truphene demanded money which was o\a ing to him, and this caused a violent quarrel, in the course of which Truphene was knocked down, and hit his head on a corner of the table. When he recovered consciousness he shouted for help. Mestorino said he lost his head and suffocated his adversary by stuffing a wad of cotton in his mouth. He tied up the body, drove away with it in a car and burned it. Then he returned to Paris and continued his business. A large part of the jewels had been recovered. Mestorino made two packages and gave them for safe keeping to his sister-in-law and aunt, neither of whom knew the contents.