Murder Not Proven: The Case of Donald Merrett/Ronald Chesney by Mark John Maguire

In 1927, 18 year old Donald Merrett went on trial for his life in Edinburgh’s High Court of Justiciary. He was accused of murdering his mother, Bertha Merrett, to inherit her fortune. The case was compelling but mistakes made by police in the original investigation of the crime, led to the jury returning the unique Scottish verdict of “Not Proven“ in his case. He had escaped justice by the skin of his teeth and everyone knew it - he inherited his mother’s fortune, but Merrett’s life of crime had only just begun. Under the assumed name of Ronald Chesney, he commenced a hedonistic life of adventure and crime - which eventually led him to murder again...