Maria Popesco, wife of Victor Popescu (September 4, 1919 – 2004), was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n-born

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

, convicted murderer and

memoirist A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) ...

, whose case was at the center of one of the few

miscarriages of justice A miscarriage of justice occurs when an unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Innocent p ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and the daughter in law of

Stelian Popescu Stelian Popescu (February 19, 1874, in Lacu Turcului, Prahova County – March 8, 1954, in Madrid, Spain) was a nationalist Romanian journalist. Biography He was elected to Parliament many times. He was Minister of Justice in the Ionescu cab ...

, a political figure and former

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

, Popesco was arrested in 1945 in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

and accused of having murdered her mother in law Lelia Popescu (on June 26, 1945) and her maid Lina Mory (died on July 25, 1945), and for an assassination attempt against her father in law. She was sentenced to life imprisonment, even though critics believe that her guilt has never been proven. Particularly Georges Brunschvig and Anton Gordonoff, two main scientific experts in the case, accused the involved François Naville for wrong arguments concerning the confusion between

Veronal Barbital (or barbitone), sold under the brand names Veronal for the pure acid and Medinal for the sodium salt, was the first commercially available barbiturate. It was used as a sleeping aid (hypnotic) from 1903 until the mid-1950s. The chemical ...

and Quadronox. She was finally amnestied in 1957. The following years Popescu wrote her memoires; she married, lived in Valais and had a son.

Contemporary researches

According to the journalist Jean-Noël Cuénod this case was one of the seven most spectacular trials in

, among others like Sissi (

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and List of Hungarian consorts, Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austri ...

), Léon Nicole,

Georges Oltramare Georges Oltramare (17 April 1896 – 16 August 1960) was a Swiss writer, journalist, actor, nationalist politician and fascist militant, who became involved in Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaboration in German military ad ...

, Pierre Jaccoud et

Frédéric Dard Frédéric Charles Antoine Dard (29 June 1921, in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isère, France – 6 June 2000, in Bonnefontaine, Fribourg, Switzerland)) also known under the pen name San-Antonio, was a French writer. Known as an author of crime fiction and a ...

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Works

*Maria Popesco. "Entre deux mercredis" Éditions La Baconnière, 1961. 198 pages. *Maria Popescu. "Von Mittwoch bis Mittwoch" Éditions Paul Haupt, 1961. Traduction: Bee Juker. ASIN B0000BMFY8 *Maria Popescu. "Între două miercuri" Éditions Corint, 2018. Traduction: Rodica Vintilă. * William Matthey-Claudet. " Une erreur judicière? L' Affaire Popesco" Imprimerie Montandon & Cie, Fleurier (Ntel). * Antoine Jacques &

Pierre Bellemare Pierre Bellemare (21 October 1929 – 26 May 2018) was a French writer, novelist, radio personality, television presenter, TV producer, director, and actor. Television * '' La Tête et les Jambes'' * '' La Caméra invisible'' * '' J'ai un Se ...

. "Les Dossiers Extraordinaires de Pierre Bellmare" Éditions Fayard, 1976. * Yolanda Eminescu. "Din Istoria Marilor Procese" Éditions Junimea, Iasi, 1992. * Jean-Noël Cuenod. "De l'Assassinat de Sissi à l'Acquittement de Mikhaïlov, Un siècle de Procès à Genève" Éditions Tribune de Genève, 1999.

References

External links

* 1919 births 2004 deaths Romanian expatriates in Switzerland Romanian memoirists Romanian people convicted of murder Romanian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Romanian people imprisoned abroad Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Switzerland People convicted of murder by Switzerland Romanian women memoirists Writers from Bucharest 20th-century memoirists {{switzerland-bio-stub