The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-05-21
MRS. FABRIzzI
ACQUITTED
DEED IN FRONT OF JURY
TELLS OF IERUMAR TREATMENT.
POTENzIANl CASE DROPPED AFTER
VERDICT.

Y6UVIuIB i
Argument in the case of the state
against Dominica Fabrizzi, charged
with the murder of her husband, Dom
mick Fabrizzi at Union Bridge on
January 8, was concluded at o'clock
Tuesday afternoon, after being on
trial since Monday, the state asking
for a verdict of murder in the first
degree.
While the jury was celebrating over
its verdict the trial of Ernest Poten-
ziani, boarder at the Fabrizzi home
when the crime was committed and
who was accused of assisting Mrs.
Fabrizzi in the murder, was started.
When the jury declared Mrs. Fab
rizzi not guilty States Attorney Theo-
dore F. Brown stopped the trial OF
Potenziani In view of the verdict in
the case of the woman he entered
plea of not guilty also for the man.
Mrs. Fabrizzi in a signed confession
before her trial started and on the
witness stand Tuesday morning exon
Grated Potenziani.
A dramatic scene was injected into
the trial when Mrs. Fabrizzi, with an
interpreter in the place of her dead
husband, re-enacted the shooting and
the placing of the body on the rail-
road tracks, using the same shotgun
which she admitted was used in kill
! ing her husband. Her plea was self
defense. While giving her testimony
she stepped down from the witness
stand, went over to the table in front
OF the States Attorney and from un-
/ der it took the shotgun. She mentioned
to the interpreter, Orlando Angellucci,
of Baltimore, formerly of Union
Bridge, and had him stand in front of
her. She rehearsed the threats she said
her husband had made and then told
Angellucci to turn his back.
She then threw the butt of the gun
under her shoulder and pulled the
trigger Then to demonstrate her YER
sion of how her husband had fallen
she threw the gun on the floor, after
which she demonstrated with the gun
how she placed the body of her hus-
band on the railroad tracks. Before
again taking the stand the woman re-
] moved her shirtwaist almost entirely
and showed to the jury black and blue
colored bruises on her arms and back
which she said were inflicted by her
husband few days before she killed
him.
The woman said it was customary
for her to accompany her husband at 4
o'clock each morning to the tracks on
the Western Maryland Railroad in
| front of their house to gather coal. On
the morning before the killing, she
said, while returning home with bag
containing 100 pounds of coal, she
fell under the heavy load. Her hus-
band kicked her, while she was on the
ground, she said, because she had fall
en-. At that time she said, as he had
done on numerous occasions before he
said he intended to kill her. That night
she said her husband again kicked her
and forced her face and head against
hot stove, because she asked him to
buy shoes for their five children. She
said he finally took the children to a
store and bought them shoes, but
! that on his return home he again beat
| her and told her he intended to kill
her.
Shortly before o'clock on the
morning of the killing, she said, while
she was in bed, he seized her by the
throat and ordered her to accompany
! him to the tracks. Thinking they were
/ to get coal, she said she went with him.
| On the way, she said, he seized her
/ frequently by the throat, each time
telling her he intended to kill her.
! When they reached the tracks she
said he pointed a pistol at her heart
At that time she told her husband to
wait for her, as she wanted to re-
turn to the house to get her coat. She
went back, she said, and her hus-
band followed her to the front door,
where he waited for her. At first, she
said, she did not intend to again join
him, but in response to his calls she
said, she took the shotgun from nail
on the wall and loaded it.
Carrying the gun close to her side
so that her husband could not see it.
she said she accompanied him again
to the tracks. When they reached
there her husband again said her time
had come and pointed the pistol at her.
Quickly aiming the gun at him, she
said she told him to stand back and
when he turned his back to her she |
pulled the trigger. The load of shot
entered his back and he fell dead In
her effort to hide the shooting she |
said she carried the body to the tracks
where two trains passed over it be-
fore it was discovered.
The woman said Potenziani knew
nothing of the killing until she told
him. He was asleep at the time, she
said. She told on the stand that she
sent Potenziani to Baltimore i'm
mediately after the killing to notify her
relatives. He was arrested at Union
Station and accused of the crime. At
the time he had $50 which he said was
his money. The woman on the stand
said the money was the property Of