Murder
Whilst at home at Honingham Hall, his estate in Norfolk, England, Teichman heard the sound of gunfire nearby. He went out to confront two poachers (Private George E. Smith of Pittsburgh and Private Leonard S. Wijpacha of Detroit) who were trespassing in the grounds of his estate. Both intruders were American soldiers based at a nearby USAAF airfield and each was armed with an M1 carbine. Sir Eric was shot during the confrontation, receiving a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Private Smith was subsequently arrested, court-martialled at RAF Attlebridge, convicted of murder and executed by hanging at HMP Shepton Mallet on 8 May 1945 (i.e. VE day), despite appeals for clemency, including one from Lady Ellen Teichman. His companion, Private Wijpacha (sp. Wojtacha?), was charged with being an accessory to murder, but was not sentenced to death.
Read more about this topic: Eric Teichman
Famous quotes containing the word murder:
“Master say: He who takes what gods may send has learned life’s most important lesson.”
—Joseph O’Donnell. Clifford Sanforth. Ah Ling, Murder by Television, when he is accused of Perry’s murder (1935)
“The boys with their feet on the desks know that the easiest murder case in the world to break is the one somebody tried to get very cute with; the one that really bothers them is the murder somebody only thought of two minutes before he pulled it off.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
“It was a hot afternoon and I can still remember the smell of honeysuckle all along the street. How can I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)