Evening star., 1953-12-18
Police Say Chemist
Admits He Poisoned
Parents for REVENGE
BY the Asseeioied Press

NEW YORK, Dec. ia 20
year-old chemist has confessed
the cyanide cocktail murders of
his well-to-do parents and says
he killed them because his moth
er had accused him Of sexual alb
normality for as long as he can
remember.
But male friend says he and
the luxury-loving son Matched
the toast-of-death plot to get
their hands on $150,000.
Bronx District Attorney George
B. De Luca announced last night
that Harlow Fraden, poetry -lov-
ing college graduate, admitted he
had treated his parents to cham
pagne cocktails spiked with po-
taSsium cyanide.
Fraden allegedly hurried the
Job with more poison during the
death agony Of his parents-Dr.
William Fraden, so, a physician,
and his wife Shirley, 46, a school
teacher.
Chided by Mother.
Fraden'S mother had chided
him as abnormal from his early
years, Mr.. De Luca said in an
nouncing the son had confessed
after many hours Of questioning.
This he strongly resented, "
the prosecutor said. "Fraden
further stated that he did not
kill his parents for personal gain,
because his parents gave him all
the money he wanted"
Fraden had been confronted
with the confession of his
friend, Dennis Wepman, 20, a
free lance writer who had related
that he and Fraden plotted the
crime for money.
De Luca said Fraden finally
confessed he murdered his
parents in the manner that
Wepman had described: The son
told his parents falsely that he
finally had got a job, and gave
them poisoned champagne cock
tails to join him in a toast to
the end Of his loaf1ng.
Girl ReOpens Case.
The deaths Of the parents had
been listed tentatively for four
months as a double suicide, or
murder and suicide, until the
case cracked open Wednesday
through a girl friend of Wepman.
He conf1ded to her that he was
involved in the plot, and she re-
ported to police.
The Bronx County grand jury
will be asked to vote indict-
ments against Fraden and Wep-
man, both charged with homi-
eide and locked up in the psy-
chiatric division of Bellevue
Hospital.
Bronx authorities said both
Fraden and Wepman denied be-
ng homosexual.
AS Fraden buried his nose
In a book of poetry he carried
during the police routine. As
sistant District Attorney George
Tilzer said:
That book is his whole life.
He said it was one of the things
his mother resented Get
out of the apartment and act
like a boy he said she would
tell him when she saw him read
ing the book or other books OF
poetry"
Quickly Spent Money.
Fraden, an only son, collected
an estimated $150,000-includ-
ing a $4,000 insurance policy
after his parents death and
quickly squandered about $780,
900 of it. He had a $200-a-month
room at the st. Moritz Hotel
and bought automobiles, includ-
ing an $4,000 Rolls Royce which
he planned to pick up in Eng
land soon.
He fancied himself million
aire, and flashed $1,000 bills. He
even wrote a will leaving to
friends and institutions a for
tune of $1,525,000 he didn't pos
sess. At the end of the bogus
will there was a notation: "I de-
clare myself to be of sound mind
and body"
Wepman-who said that Fra
den's parental allowance hao
been cut and that the ROOM
mates were low in funds before
the murders-told the ques-
TONERS:
II went along with the (mur-
der) idea. I expected to get my
commensurate share of the in
heritance, but only got $120 in
small amounts"
Probe Aunt. Uncle'S Deaths.
Mr.. De Luca said authorities
of Sullivan County-a New York
State resort area-have reopenec
investigation of the supposedly
accidental asphyxiation deaths
of Fraden'S aunt and uncle in a