The case of Marie Kappel, which became the starting point in the creation of forensic toxicology and forensics in general (5 photos)

The murder of a husband or wife is one of the most common crimes. In the case of the Frenchwoman Marie Kappel, she was definitely not proved her guilt or innocence. But the case became resonant and came out as a starting point for the creation of such a direction as the judiciary expertise.





Marie Kappel (married Lafarge, 1816-1852) lost her parents and was sent by her guardians - her aunt and her husband to the institute noble girls. Despite the pretty appearance and solid inheritance, the girl was not indulged in the attention of the grooms. And the family turned to marriage agent so that Marie does not remain an old maid.



29-year-old Charles Lafarge was delighted with the bride and in colors described to her how wonderful their life would be in his family castle. After the wife's wedding arrived at Le Glandier, and the young wife was disappointed I saw that the "family castle" is a dilapidated old monastery, inhabited by rats. And the new relatives are ordinary peasants with a bunch debts, not a wealthy aristocratic family. Marie began to demand dissolution of marriage, threatening suicide. But Charles managed to convince her and beg to live a little and look at each other.

In order to prove the location, the spouses even exchanged wills, composing them in each other's name. True, as a result of forgery the heirs of all property were the sister and mother of Charles.

Poison pies



In 1839, Lafarge left for the capital to receive a loan. He constantly exchanged letters with his wife, which were filled with love and tenderness.

It took more to settle the financial issues time than Charles expected. And his wife sent him a parcel with things and with your photo. Mother Charles added pies for her son.

Having received the parcel, the man immediately enjoyed homemade cakes. And immediately felt unwell. Thought the cake had gone bad. Intestinal disorders were common at that time. And Charles did not pay on pain in the abdomen of attention. And in vain: after suffering for several days, he breathed out.

Upon learning of the death of her son, the mother immediately blamed Marie for the murder. The woman was arrested. The meeting was open, gathered a lot of people, including number of members of the press.



The prosecutor insisted on the death penalty, shaking Marie's letter, in which she showed extreme disappointment when she learned the true husband's state of affairs. But lawyer Payet dispelled these arguments in two ways: meaning to kill, for what? For a donut hole? Yes, and after this letter the spouses lived in harmony, not thinking about divorce.

The prosecution noted that there was malicious intent, since Marie shortly before the murder, she bought arsenic to reduce the same rat castle population. That is, poison was present in the house. But start anyone could bake pastries, because besides the woman in the castle, there were still a lot of people.

The lawyer turned to the chemist Orfil for an opinion. He stated, that the arsenic found in the stomach of the deceased is not enough for a lethal outcome. The court initiated another examination. With the Marsh apparatus experts conducted another study. And they did not find any traces of poison in tissues. Orfil began to play up (probably in an attempt to hide his incompetence). There was no clarity. And the widow was sentenced to hard labor, and not to death, because the case turned out to be very resonant.

And in 1852, the woman was amnestied for health reasons. (tuberculosis). She died the same year. In the murder case, the final point was made. But to the chemistry that was in in its infancy, began to show more attention. As well as to precise science in general. But it was this case that became the starting point for the creation diagnostic equipment and expert training.



Do you think Marie was involved in her husband's death?