Madame Bessarabo

Case overview

Madame Bessarabo was tried for murder after the death of Paul Jacques and later after the death of Charles Bessarabo.

Her daughter was Pauline (also referred to as Paule in parts of the record). Both the mother and daughter were arrested and charged after the body was found and examined.

Background

Paul Jacques was found dead on 5 March 1914. The official verdict was suicide, though the police were suspicious and had no evidence to support any other theory.

Hera Bessarabo was described as the daughter of a wealthy French businessman. She later remade her life and, on 30 July 1920, she and her husband had a serious argument during which Hera shot her husband. She was also described as taking drugs and entertaining several young men.

Paul Jacques had married Hera and they moved to Paris where their daughter Pauline was born in 1904.

In the later marriage to Charles Bessarabo, Hera was described as having outstanding sexual energy, taking lovers, and being particularly fond of hashish, and as dominating and cuckolding her husband. The record also describes that she had a personal drug use history.

The offence

Death of Paul Jacques (officially treated as suicide)

On the evening of 3/05/1914, the maid was summoned to Marie’s bedroom. Paul (Paul Jacques) was dead, shot in the right temple, and it was declared to be a suicide.

A chemist analysis was described as showing that a portion of soup contained a lethal poison, after Hera ordered the maid to take a tureen of soup to her husband who was working late in his study in January 1914. The maid’s remark was quoted verbatim:

“I hope you like the flavoring that Madame put into your soup.”

The record also included Paul admitting to friends that he “would never understand the dark corners of her mind.”

Death of Charles Bessarabo

On 7/08/1920, when Bessarabo arrived home for dinner, the record says Hera was scantily clad and preparing for an “interview” with a male writer. Hera grabbed a pistol and yelled at him to get out. The record then describes a bullet whistling over his head, and that Marie threw down the gun and calmly went to her dinner.

When Bessarabo told her he could no longer tolerate their life together, the record says she replied that if he left, she would expose his shady business dealings.

On 7/31/1920, c. 8:00 PM, Marie shot Bessarabo to death, put his body in a trunk, and sent it to Nancy, France. When his chauffeur went to the police after he failed to show up at work, Marie insisted that he had gone away to visit his alleged mistress and that he had taken the large trunk.

The trunk was soon located and found to contain a naked corpse, shot and with a battered head and face.

The record describes Hera promptly confessing to shooting Bessarabo, saying that she had been jealous of his mistress.

Treatment of the body

After the shooting of Bessarabo, the record says that with the aid of her daughter they put the body in a trunk and sent it to Nancy. When the body was found and examined it was revealed that the body had also been beaten badly around the head.

Investigation

The maid was summoned on the evening of 3/05/1914 when Paul Jacques was dead, shot in the right temple.

The record described police suspicion around the 5 March 1914 death and that there was no evidence to support any other theory beyond suicide at the time.

For the later death, the chauffeur went to the police, relating what he knew of his employer’s marital problems. Marie insisted that Bessarabo had taken the trunk with him when going to visit his alleged mistress. The trunk was soon located, and the corpse was found to have been shot and with a battered head and face.

Arrest

Both mother and daughter were arrested and charged after the body was found and examined.

Trial

Charges and defendants

Both Marie (Madame Bessarabo) and Pauline were placed on trial for murder.

The trial was described as taking place in February 1921, with trial dates listed as 15 February 1921.

During the trial, the record says Pauline leaped to her feet and screamed:

“I must and will tell the truth.”

The record says Pauline laid the blame at her mother’s feet as Marie shouted at her to shut up. The quote in the record is the statement by Pauline above; no verbatim quote is provided for Marie’s shouted words.

Outcomes at trial

At the trial in February 1921, Pauline was acquitted while her mother was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

The record also states that Hera at first confessed but later retracted the statement.

The record describes that as Paule had helped her mother dispose of the body, she was also charged with murder, but Paule made a detailed statement to the police implicating her mother.

Sentencing

Madame Bessarabo was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

Appeals

No appeal information appears in the provided material.

Outcome

Madame Bessarabo died in 1930.

Other details

Family and relationships

The record names Marie, Pauline (also referred to as Pauline and Paule), Paul Jacques, and Charles Bessarabo, and it describes Hera’s daughter as Pauline.

The record described a confrontation between Hera and Charles Bessarabo involving a pistol, and it described a later argument after Bessarabo said he could no longer tolerate their life together.

Dates and events listed in the record

• January 1914 — Hera ordered the maid to take a tureen of soup to her husband; poison was found.
• 5 March 1914 — Paul Jacques was found dead with a revolver at his feet; suicide was the official verdict.
• 30 July 1920 — Hera and her husband had a serious argument during which Hera shot her husband (this is also associated with the later timeline entry around 31 July 1920).
• 7/08/1920 — Bessarabo arrived home for dinner and Hera grabbed a pistol and yelled at him to get out.
• 7/31/1920 — at about 8:00 PM, Marie shot Bessarabo to death, put his body in a trunk, and sent it to Nancy, France.
• February 1921 — trial took place; Pauline was acquitted and Marie was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
• 1930 — Marie died.

Other quoted material

The record included the following quote attributed to Hera:

“I don't know what came over me.”