Evening star., 1953-05-15
Jury Studying
In Arlington
Neiehbor's Testimony
Cited by Prosecutor
At Oponowich Trial

At Oponowich Trial
An Arlington Circuit Court
jury resumed its deliberations
today on the fate of Mrs.
Peter Opanowich. whose trial
for the murder of her infant son
ended late yesterday.
With the shout of Murder
will out!" still ringing in their
ears from the summary state
ments by Commonwealth At
torney William j. Hassan, jury
members began their delibera-
tions at 9:48 pm. An hour
later they were sent home and
ordered to report back at 10
am. today.
In summarizing the prosecu-
tlon's case, Mr.. Hassan admitted
the evidence he presented was
ctrcumStantial. But he declared
that Providence has a way OF
guiding human destiny" and as
serted that in this case the
chance lifting of a telephone re-
ceiver by a neighbor lied police
to her (Mrs. Opanowich's) door,"
Testimony by Neishbor.
His reference was to testimony
by Mrs. Margaret Cutcomb of
ll21 South Eighteenth street, a
next-door neighbor of the de-
fendant. Mrs. Cutcomb said
she accidentally overhead on a
party line the beginning of a
conversation between Mrs. Opan-
owich and a man named Julius
concerning the birth of a baby
and a threat to dispose of the
infant in a furnace.
Last night Mrs. Opanowich
took the stand in her own be-
half and denied in a barely
audible voice that she had killed
the six-day-old boy, born Febru-
ary S, unattended. The 42-year.
old housewife is accused of mur.
dering the infant. stuffing the
body in a brown paper bag and
tossing it into a honeysuckle
patch in field near Army-Navy
drive and Shirley highway.
Defense Attorney William c.
Nemeth, in his closing state.
ment, said the prosecution had
presented rather loosely knit
case" He declared that no evi.
dence had been presented to
show how or when the infant
died and urged that medical
testimony by a New York patho-
logist be given considerable
weight"
On Wednesday. DR.. William
Dolan, State-appointed patholo-
giSt, said the infant either suf.
focated or smothered to death.
The New York physician, DR..
Jacob Verne, assistant medical
examiner for Queens County.
testified a respiratory infection
caused the infants death.
Jury Queries Report.
At IL am. today the jury
returned to the courtroom and
inquired of Judge Walter T.
Mccarthy whether the patho.
logical report had been sub.
mitted in evidence. The report
had been read to the jury but
not submitted as an exhibit
during the trial. The report was
accepted and turned over to the
jury by agreement of the at
torneyS on both sides.
The defendants whispered tes-
timony was that the baby was i'll
from birth, did not take nour-
iShment we'll and died in its bed
surrounded by bed clothes" She
said she could not recall all of the
events of February IL but re-
membered her daughter, Mrs.
Marion Lowe. of Shirley-D Duke
apartments, Alexandria, driving
her to the field where the body
was later found.
Mrs. Lowe testified on Wednes-
day that her mother did not
seem rational when she saw her
the night of February IL and an
nounced the baby had died. Mrs.
Lowe led police to the field on
February IA. after her mother
had told police she had thrown
the baby in the furnace at her
home.
Could Not Recall Threat.
During her testimony. Mrs.
Opanowich admitted talking to
Julius Sherr, a news vendor.
whom she described as a close
friend, on the day she is alleged
to have killed her infant. She
said she could not recall a threat
to throw the baby in the furnace
while talking to him.
Mr.. Sherr testified on Wednes-
day that he had talked with
Mrs. Opanowich twice on Febru-
ary IL and declared she seemed
upset when she made a threat
to dispose of the infant. 1t was
this conversation Mrs. Cutcomb
said she overheard and made
notes of and later turned over
to police when they came to her
during their investigation.
Mrs. Cutcomb said the de-
fendant's statement that she
had borne a baby was followed
by Mr.. Sherr's question, "Mine?"
and the reply. Yes" from
Mrs. Opanowich. Later in the
trial, a statement Mrs. Opano-
wich allegedly made to police
wes read in which she declared
man was the father Of
tho child.
Yesterday the defendants
husband Peter, a hotel cook.
testified he was the father OF
tie infant. He said he and his
wife both wanted the child and
we're happy when they learned
she was pregnant.
DR.. Amino Perretti, assistant
chief of pSychiatry at Gallinger
testified yesterday he