Oscar Comery
Murderer
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- Gender
- male
- Country
- USA
- Location
- Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
- Date of birth
- 1881
- Age at first offence
- 33
- Characteristics
- poisoner, parricide
- Victim profile
- His wife
- Method of murder
- Poisoning (strychnine)
- Date(s) of murder
- November 29, 1914
- Years active
- 1914
- Date of arrest
- January 1, 1915
- Status
-
Executed
Executed by hanging at the New Hampshire State Prison on February 18, 1916
Overview
Oscar J. Comery (1881 or 1882 – February 18, 1916) was executed by hanging at the New Hampshire State Prison on February 18, 1916.
Timeline
- February 18, 1916 — Oscar J. Comery was executed in Concord, New Hampshire at 12:31 a.m.
- November 29, 1914 — Oscar Comery killed his wife by poisoning her.
- January 1, 1915 — Oscar Comery was arrested.
- February 8, 1915 — Oscar Comery brought to trial.
- February 18, 1916 — Oscar Comery was hanged on the Friday February 18th, 1916, at New Hampshire State Prison.
The offence
Oscar J. Comery was convicted of murdering his wife. He confessed to killing his wife by poisoning her with strychnine.
The confession described that he replaced the quinine his wife normally took with the poison.
After the wife’s death, an autopsy was performed and strychnine was determined to be the cause of death.
Investigation
The wife in her death agony confided certain misgivings to the minister who was to conduct her funeral, and the clergyman went to the police.
The body of Bertha Comery was exhumed and found to be saturated with strychnine.
Oscar Comery bought the poison from a local chemist ostensibly for the purpose of putting down a dog.
Arrest
Oscar Comery was arrested on January 1, 1915.
Trial
Oscar Comery was brought to trial on February 8, 1915.
“pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree with the expectation that the court would sentence him to life imprisonment”
The trial record also included the information that he had been sleeping with his latest girl friend since she was 12. The jury decided that this was too much to stomach and sentenced him to die.
Sentencing and execution
Oscar Comery was sentenced to die.
Oscar Comery was executed in Concord, New Hampshire at 12:31 a.m. on February 18, 1916, at the New Hampshire State Prison.
He was hanged on Friday, February 18th, 1916, at New Hampshire State Prison.
Other details
Oscar Comery was one of only three people executed by the State of New Hampshire in the 20th century. The other two were Frederick Small in 1918 and Howard Long in 1939.
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