Jealous Duke Convicted Of Killing His Wife

YESTERDAY afternoon Alfonso II d’Este, the Duke of Ferrara, was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Lucrezia de’ Medici. The case has gained a lot of media attention due to the fact that The Duke has been a well-known and well-liked person in the community, despite of his eccentric personality. The Duke has been almost completely silent in the course of the trial and, but fortunately the defence attorney was able to make a short comment after the conviction.

   Are you and your client happy with the outcome of the trial?

- Yes, in many ways we are because my client had pleaded guilty right from the start and yet he did not receive the maximum sentence. So yes we are quite satisfied.

   The Duke was sentenced to serve 12 years in a minimum security facility near Bologna. He had requested that he would be sent to prison near his home and this was granted, most unusually, by the judge.

   The Defence Attorney would not elaborate as to the reason why the Duke murdered his wife, but the police officer who led the investigation says: “It seems as though the Duke had grown weary of his wife flirtatious nature and in well-planned scheme he poisoned her food. Our analysis shows that he used arsenic.”

   What makes this case so much more interesting is the setting in which the Duke was arrested. These details have first been revealed to the press at this moment. The police report states that Alfonso II was arrested in his home June 3^rd last year, while entertaining guests. This may not seem so strange, but his guests were a wealthy man from the South and his wife. The reason for them getting together was apparently to discuss the marriage of the Duke and the daughter of this wealthy man. And what is more troubling is that at the time of the Duke’s arrest the party was evidently admiring a painting of Lucrezia de’ Medici herself. These facts reveal that the Duke may not have been the pleasant and good-hearted man that the people of Ferrara had thought he was.