Hawley Harvey Crippen Case - Research Paper Example

This is also considered as the first case Bernard Spilsbury, the renowned pathologist investigated. Radio was used for the tracking of the criminals; this was strange in that period. Advocates who cry for the abolition of death penalty gives the case of Crippen as an example for the wrongfully convicted cases. However, Dr Crippen’s conviction is not considered false by many people. The wife of Doctor Hawley Crippen was found missing when Crippen maintained affair with another woman. As in most wife death cases, when adultery is traced, spouse and his mistress were suspected.

Hawley Harvey Crippen, an American citizen, who had worked as a homeopathic doctor in a pharmaceutical company lived with his second wife Cora. She became an Opera singer, with the name Belle Elmore. Belle was a pleasant and vivacious woman who was interested in dressing and make up. She liked displaying herself. She had dark hair and a New York accent of speech. She was a Roman Catholic. She changed her husband to her faith. Unlike his wife Crippen was a small man. He did not have an appealing appearance.

He had a bald forehead and a thick, sandy moustache. He was an insignificant figure with sharp eyes, behind the gold-rimmed spectacles. During the trial he was seen as a gentle, kind, well-mannered man. Rumor says that Elmore controlled everything in their house while she had several affairs with other men. Though this information was not verified, Crippen and Cora, for sure, remained not committed to each other. In the year 1900, the couple moved to England from the United States. Crippen’s medical qualifications did not permit him to practice him in England as he had to work in homeopathic medicine preparation.

They changed places several times and finally settled in Holloway London. They had paying boarders in their house which supplemented their income. Certain people considered this as the beginning of the problem between wife and husband. Things went terribly wrong as wife loved flirting with other men and husband started relationship with another woman. The relationship between Crippen and his wife worsened as the days go. Belle was tired of her husband. She was aware of his relationship with Ethel le Neve.

She threatened that she would leave Crippen. This news must have been happy for him. But she wanted their joint savings to be taken with her. As per the records, on in December 1909, she submitted notice for the withdrawal of the money in the bank. Crippen must have been furious over this. Dr Crippen, deciding to kill his wife, ordered the poison hyoscine, from a New Oxford Street chemist. According to the records the collected the poison from the chemist and signed the chemist’s register. The couple invited few close friends of Belle and had dinner and drinks on January 31 1910.

Paul Martinetti and his wife Clara who attended the dinner stayed until late night. They were the last people to see Belle. According to their neighbors, the couple had a long argument in the morning hours. Some cries for help were also reported to hear. A few days Dr. Crippen ordered some of his wife’s theatrical weakly subscriptions to be cancelled. He reasoned that his wife had returned to America and it will take few months for her return. To those who enquired Crippen said that his wife had visited California on a family emergency, and she died later being infected with pneumonia.

Dr Crippen’s lover Ethel le Neve moved to the house after few days.