View source for Maria Popesco

{{short description|Romanian-Swiss socialite and convicted murderer}}
'''Maria Popesco''', wife of '''Victor Popescu''' (September 4, 1919 – 2004), was a [[Romania]]n-born [[socialite]], convicted murderer and [[memoirist]], whose case was at the center of one of the few [[Miscarriage of justice|miscarriages of justice]] in [[Switzerland]].

Born in [[Bucharest]] and the daughter in law of [[Stelian Popescu]], a political figure and former [[Ministry of Justice and Citizenship Freedoms (Romania)|Justice Minister]], Popesco was arrested in 1945 in [[Geneva]] 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]] and [[Quadronox]]. She was finally amnestied in 1957. The following years Popescu wrote her memoires;<ref>[[Jean-Noël Cuénod]]: [http://www.tdg.ch/actu/divers/maria-popesco-echappe-geoles-perpetuelles-2009-08-10 "Maria Popesco échappe aux geôles perpétuelles: avait-elle commis trois empoisonnements mortels? La belle Roumaine n’a jamais avoué"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822040154/http://www.tdg.ch/actu/divers/maria-popesco-echappe-geoles-perpetuelles-2009-08-10 |date=2009-08-22 }}. Grands procès. [[Tribune de Genève]], 2008.</ref> 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 [[Geneva]], among others like Sissi ([[Empress Elisabeth of Austria]]), [[Léon Nicole]], [[Georges Oltramare]], [[Pierre Jaccoud]] et [[Frédéric Dard]].<ref>[http://archives.tdg.ch/TG/TG/-/article-1999-12-1052/sept-proces-qui-ont-marque-le-siecleedition-dans-son-livre-jean-noel-cuenod-evoque-les-grandes Unknown]{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==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. {{ISBN|978-606-793-390-1}}
*[[William Matthey-Claudet]]. " Une erreur judicière? L' Affaire Popesco" Imprimerie Montandon & Cie, Fleurier (Ntel).
*[[Antoine Jacques]] & [[Pierre Bellemare]]. "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==
<references/>

== External links ==
{{commons}}
* {{DNB-Portal|1018530169}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popesco, Maria}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Romanian expatriates in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Romanian memoirists]]
[[Category:Romanian people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:Romanian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]]
[[Category:Romanian people imprisoned abroad]]
[[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Switzerland]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by Switzerland]]
[[Category:Romanian women memoirists]]
[[Category:Writers from Bucharest]]
[[Category:20th-century memoirists]]


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