A suspected overdose turns into a chilling mystery | Forensic Files

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[Music] ever since she was a little girl maria cinque had always dreamed of starting a family of her own her wish
was fulfilled on june 11 1971 when she gave birth to her first child a boy named Giuseppe he inherited his name
from his grandfather but was known to friends and family as Joe Maria and her husband de Nino who were both Italian
immigrants were besotted with the Joe describing him as the most beautiful baby they had ever seen four years later
Maria gave birth to their second child a boy named Anthony the family of four lived in a neat two-story red brick
house in New Castle a harbor city on Australia's East Coast 160 kilometers north from sydney maria
Antonino relished the constant buzz of activity their sons contributed around to their household and looked forward to
which evening when the family would gather for dinner at the kitchen table and share stories about their day the
walls of the Cinque home were adorned with family photos and trophies Joe was a natural athlete and spent his school
years playing every sport he could including tennis cricket and soccer he was popular amongst his classmates
well-liked by his teachers and maintained good grades he intended to study architecture at
university but by the time he graduated from high school he decided he didn't want a career that would keep him inside
all day and switched to civil engineering instead in November 1994 at the age of 24 Joe completed his
engineering degree and celebrated the milestone by traveling through Europe for two months upon his return to
Australia he resumed to living at home with his parents he started work as a project manager for the same civil
engineering company where his father and grandfather were employed earning a reputation as a hard-working and
dependable person in his spare time he played sports went to the gym and socialized with people naturally drawn
to his easygoing attitude and sense of humor at the beginning of 1995 Joe joined his mates for a night out at a
club in town called the brewery there he met 22 year old Anu Singh she had just completed a Bachelor of
economics at the Australian National University in Canberra and had returned to Newcastle to spend the summer with
her family Anu was born in the Punjab region of India that had relocated to Australia with her parents when she was
two years old both her mother and father were medical practitioners and Anu was the eldest of their two children she was
well-spoken intelligent and excelled academically but was also known to behave questionably at times
although she had a long-term boyfriend Anu hit it off with the Jo and the pair commenced the romantic fling when she
returned to Canberra her boyfriend Simon found out about her infidelity and ended
their relationship following the break-up Anu began seeing Joe again on a casual basis in mid-1996 they entered a
long distance relationship while Anu returned to study law rec cambers australian national university 450
kilometres south of Newcastle the couple initially kept their relationship a secret from the news parents who wanted
her to remain single while she completed her studies Joe told his family that if
the Singh's ever called their house wanting to know who he was they should say he was a friend of a news brother he
was completely smitten with Anu and prioritized her above all else racking up expensive phone bills by calling her
up to 15 times a day every Friday afternoon he made the five and a half hour drive to see her returning home in
the early hours of Monday morning to begin work at 9:00 a.m. Anu had several ongoing health problems
and if she was unwell Joe would sometimes leave work in the middle of the week and fly to Canberra to take
care of her Maria and Denis no cinque noticed the distinct change in their son's behavior after he started dating
Anu according to the book Joe [ __ ] weighs consolation by journalist Helen gana Maria warned Joe not to let Anu
control him to which he replied don't make me choose I love you but she needs me in September
1996 Joe permanently relocated to Canberra to live with Anu the couple moved into a semi-detached
brick townhouse on the busy tree-lined thoroughfare event or Street in the suburb of Donna for kilometres from a
news University they had grand plans for their future and opened a joint bank account called a new one to Joe's
marriage account in November Anu finished her studies for the year and - the couple spent three weeks in
Newcastle staying with the Joe's parents Maria Cinque described anew as the perfect houseguest but deep down she had
an instinctive feeling that Anu was not right for her son [Music] [Music] before Anu entered a relationship with
the Jo she had been left the devastated by her breakup with Salman she was particularly hurt by a claim he made
that she was quote intellectually inferior the comment had a profound impact on the headstrong and knew who
had a tendency to look down on those Sri deemed too stupid and it marked a dramatic turning point in her behavior
she started experimenting with amphetamines and obsessed over her physical appearance spending hours at
the gym to maintain her figure by late 1995 Anu had developed bulimia an eating disorder characterized by binge eating
episodes followed by self induced vomiting fasting and to the misuse of laxatives and diuretics she spiraled
into a deep depression and moved back in with her parents who were deeply concerned by her behavior
she only consumed soft drinks and the occasional chocolate biscuit and two begged her father to pay for her to get
liposuction he encouraged her to seek professional help but she refused to admit that she was suffering Jo was
aware of the struggles the knew was facing and supported her wholeheartedly as a caretaking role came naturally to
him when he was 8 years old his family was involved in a serious car accident Maria
suffered a debilitating foot injury and yong-jo stepped up to help with the household chores despite being told it
was a doctor's responsibility to help Anu Jo continued to take care of her calling her more than a dozen times per
day visiting her whenever she requested and eventually moving to Canberra to live with her with the Jo by her side a
news condition showed no signs of improvement by 1997 she became completely fixated on
her health and complained about a range of physical symptoms including aching legs hot flushes and chronic fatigue she
withdrew from social events and rarely attended her university lectures when she did classmates noted she looked
uncharacteristically disheveled she told a friend there was something wrong with
her metabolism and her muscles were being eaten away but doctors couldn't find anything wrong and diagnosed her
issues as purely psychological a new maintained there was nothing wrong with her mind and it was only her body that
had problems at one stage her mother found her frantically pacing her room in tears saying things were crawling under
her skin and it felt like her head was attached to someone else's body following this incident Anu agreed to
see a psychiatrist who referred her to another doctor but she never followed through with the appointment in March
1997 a new approach to Maria Cinque hoping she would understand her ongoing health issues given Maria's own
experience following the car accident Anu was anxiously pacing and fidgeting leading Maria to wonder whether she was
going through drug withdrawals months later Anu was convinced she had contracted AIDS she told a friend it was
unfair that Jo was unaffected by the disease and that she planned to put her infected blood on his toothbrush when
the results of her AIDS test came back in negative Anu considered the possibility that she had a crippling
nervous system condition like multiple sclerosis or peripheral neuropathy she showered up to seven times a day and
told her father that she thought she was going to die her mother contacted a mental health crisis team and tried to
have a new admitted for treatment but as she was considered a danger to herself or others
they couldn't admit her without her permission a new blamed her undiagnosed condition or night the CAC syrup a vomit
inducing medication Jo had once mentioned it during a conversation about how supermodels were able to control
their appetites although he refused to talk to her about it any further she resented him very nad vertically
introducing her to the medication which she used to maintain her weight in late May
Anu told a friend she hated Jo and wanted to go on a rampage to kill him her ex-boyfriend Simon and all the
incompetent doctors she had seen she added quote I studied psychiatric text and it wouldn't be too hard to convince
someone you're insane the next month she visited cambers national library with her closest friend fellow law student
Madhavi rao like Anu Madhavi had high achieving Indian parents and excelled academically but was the quieter more
studious of the pair they sourced the book written by the hemlock society an American organization that advocated an
individual's right to die it contained information on assisted suicide and relevant legislation surrounding the
issue and the pair photocopied various pages undone flater Anu asked the friend if he could help
her obtain a gun telling him she was suffering from permanent neurological damage and wanted to end her life
a week later the same friend spotted a new sitting in her car in the city and she told him she was trying to buy a gun
thinking she was joking he playfully warned her she was going to get ripped off shortly after Anu told another
classmate that she was sick and wanted to die she had been studying methods of suicide and decided a gunshot wound was
preferable and asked for help to buy a firearm her classmate thought their conversation was quote too silly for
words and didn't think she was being serious even when she phoned him days later asking if he had any luck getting
one that same month Anu told another acquaintance about her plans to use a gun to end her life they
advised that an intentional heroin overdose would be a much better way to die a new organised to sell a large
collection of her clothes at 1 or 2 dollars per item telling her father she no longer needed them as she never went
out she also started giving away her CDs cleaning she no longer listened to them
her parents reached out to the mental health crisis team again this time submitting an application to have a new
hospitalised against her will but before any action could be taken the application had to be approved by a
magistrate and it was scheduled for review in due course in late August of 1997 Anu inquired with a known drug user on
campus about the logistics of overdosing on heroin he explained that in excess quantities
heroin causes a user to stop breathing and die a painless death within minutes he believed the 150 dollars worth of the
illicit substance would be enough to cause a recreational user to overdose a week later
a new called him wanting to buy half a gram of heroin she arrived at his house with her friend Madhavi soon after and
exchanged 250 dollars for the drug the two women were shown how to prepare a hit and were both injected for the first
time a month later they attempted to shoot up on their own but couldn't find the right veins so they invited another
of their friends over to read Eman straight the injection process on Tuesday September 23 Anu made an
appointment with the university counselor to discuss her relationship with the Jurchen way she divulged that
the two were verbally and physically abusive to one another and she wanted to end the relationship but couldn't as her
medical condition meant she was financially and emotionally dependent on him weeks later
Anu purchased another gram of heroin the dealer questioned why she needed so much
- which Anu responded someone's coming with me when asked if she intended to end her
own life Anu said yes but refused to reveal who the other participant in her suicide pact was
on Sunday October 19 Joe visited his parents in Newcastle and told them he and Anu were hosting a dinner party the
following evening he asked if his mother had any meals prepared that he could serve his guests
Maria offered to cook something up but Joe told her not to worry about it and decided to pick up some fried chicken
instead the dinner party went ahead on Monday October 20 Marta he was invited and brought along another friend Olivia
who had never met Joe were Anu before prior to the dinner Madhavi showed Olivia a needle mark in her arm
explaining that Anu had been injecting her with heroin to practice for her own suicide she revealed that the dinner was
a final send off as Anu was planning to end her and two Joe's lives that night when the two women arrived at the ant or
Street town house Anu told them she had prepared a way more food than was necessary for their small group of
guests the suburb they lived in was home to many other University students so she
told Madhavi and Olivia to Dornoch the area to see if anyone else wanted to join them by then rumours of a news
intentions had spread spurring other students some of whom were total strangers to attend to the party out of
morbid curiosity Anu acted a loving and happy towards her boyfriend and didn't appear suicidal leading the group to
suspect her plan had never been serious the party ended without incident Madhavi drove several of the guests home
telling them the suicide plot was going ahead or later that night her passengers
asked if they should seek medical help but not if he ordered them not to do a thing they were still uncertain if the
entire scenario was a joke but ultimately decided that it was a news choice who she wanted to end her own
life and doctored not get involved meanwhile Anu had crushed some sedatives and sprinkled them into
Joe's drink causing him to drift off to sleep she then fetched a pre-prepared syringe
full of heroin and tried to inject it into him but he was Restless and she struggled to find to the right vein the
liquid congealed rendering it useless Joe woke up the following morning and went to work
seemingly unaware of what Anu had attempted the night before a new contacted madhavi and told her what she
had done the day after the dinner party Madhavi went to the community and health
services Complaints Commission where she was undertaking work experience for her
law degree she told two colleagues that something really serious had happened the night
before and was paranoid the police were after her when they asked what had happened
Madhavi told them it was quote the major crime of the century it's got to do with
revenge it's the worst thing in the Crimes Act after her first attempt to kill Joe had failed
Anu asked one of her heroin user friends the source rohypnol a tranquilizing drug
almost 10 times more potent than valium the sedative was often prescribed to help overcome heroin addiction and the
friend had no problem obtaining a prescription from her general practitioner Anu obtained 15 rohypnol
tablets and was told that when paired with heroin only one tablet was needed to render a person unconscious
unbeknownst to Joe Anu scheduled a second dinner party for the following Friday night of October 24
once again telling guests that she intended to take her and to Joe's lives afterwards when the evening arrived Joe
returned home from work to discover his house was filled with people although he
seemed surprised he was a gracious and sociable host welcoming guests and speaking excitedly about his new car and
upcoming plans to holiday in Queensland there were mixed reactions among the guests Mahdavi had told her friend
Olivia that the suicide plot was going ahead for real this time but Olivia dismissed her by saying
people who were going to do this sort of thing don't just talk about it they go ahead and do it but Madhavi was certain
telling colleagues and classmates beforehand that there was nothing she could do to stop it another guest
thought the story was so absurd that it couldn't possibly be true while others wrote it off as another of
a news dramatic attention-seeking stories they showed up regardless curious to see what would unfold Joe was
happy and affectionate towards Anu who was noticeably vivacious and bubbly when a friend inquired about her good mood
Anu said she had consumed a few drinks and taken some rohypnol the party continued without incident into the
early hours the group discussed plans to visit a casino but the idea didn't go ahead and people started heading home
eventually everyone left except Mahdavi at 6:00 the following morning Madhavi arrived home and told a friend who had
spent the night there that Anu had put 10 rohypnol tablets into Joe's coffee and tried to inject him with a lethal
dose of heroin she explained quote it didn't work it's amazing it wasn't his time to go when
asked why Anu was trying to hurt Joe Madhavi stated Joe's the problem she wants to take Joe with her it's because
she blames him for condition after consulting with her friend Madhavi decided she wasn't going to have
any further involvement in a news plan as the day continued word of a news persistent efforts to kill Joe spread
throughout their Friendship Circle one friend threatened to contact the police but a new found out and talked her out
of it reassuring she would never do anything to hurt Joe saying we're engaged to be married you could ruin
this for all of us Anu had a flair for drama and many of her friends were familiar with her
grandiose stories of illness and suicide and as she had never gone through with self-harm most remained convinced this
was just another of her tell tales Anu admitted to those concerned that she had a given Joe three rohypnol tablets but
insisted it was only to make sure he was asleep while she ended her own life she
convinced them that Joe was not in any danger and that she was going to confess to him about spiking his drink in turn
the others agreed to let it go at 10:19 that evening a new called a friend named
delenn who had attended the second dinner party Len was fully aware of a new sinister plans but had quashed the
concerns of others by expressing his opinion that the whole story was just a cry for attention he's answering machine
recorded part of their conversation as a new enquired how strong rohypnol was she
explained that Joe had slept for around 15 hours straight and was now groggy and
struggling to keep his eyes open she was worried about what she had done but Len
reassured her that she wouldn't have caused any long-term damage Joe then took the phone from his girlfriend and
said to LAN hey mate my mind is 100% functional my body just wants to sleep like crazy that
or she's worried for nothing shortly after midnight a newfound another friend wanting to know if it was possible to
shoot heroin into your legs sore the back of your arms the following morning of Sunday October
26 1997 a new visited Madhavi and told her that Joe wasn't breathing and she needed money to buy heroin to take her
own life the pair drove to an ATM where Madhavi gave a new 250 dollars cash before walking home alone at 9:00 a.m. a
new arrived to her dealers house and purchased half a gram of heroin wala was being prepared in a syringe for her she
paced back and forth repeatedly saying today's the day between nine thirteen and two 9:40 a.m. a new phone to my TV's
several times during one call a house maid overheard Madhavi telling Anu to leave her alone but she eventually caved
and told her new to come and pick her up soon after the pair were witnessed having a heated conversation outside
amar Davies home with a new appearing to be very distressed approximately two hours later Marta V visited a LAN and
informed him that after Joe awoke from his rohypnol induced sleep the night before he told her knew he was going to
leave her Marta be then explained a new tried to kill Joe last night with heroin she
injected him with heroin up until this point Len had been convinced the situation was a fanciful cloy and was
shocked to hear Anu had gone through with her plan he suggested they call the news parents to tell them what happened
in case she laid a claim to Joe had taken the overdose himself concerned that a new may turn up at his house to
seek their help Len and Madhavi went for a drive during which murder he admitted
she had visited 79n tor street earlier that morning and witnessed to Joe unconscious on the bed
he had still been breathing but his skin was pale and his lips had turned blue as
midday approached a new phone to the friend who had helped her obtain rohypnol screaming frantically she asked
what the best course of action was for someone who had taken a heroin overdose she was advised to call an ambulance but
Anu responded I can he doesn't know he'll be furious she reported that Joe was taking one breath every 10 seconds
and was told to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation Anu put the phone down and returned a
few seconds later to report that Joe was vomiting black liquid her friend repeatedly told her to call an ambulance
but Anu responded it's too late he's gone anyway her friend warned her that if she didn't
call the paramedics she could have a murder charge on her hands at this point Anu disconnected their call at 12:10
p.m. she placed a call to the emergency services hotline requesting ambulance assistance to treat a potential heroin
overdose she was hysterical and evasive and refused to answer the dispatchers repeated requests for her address Anu
finally gave the address of 30 in TOR Street before changing it to number 79 the dispatcher urged her to calm down
when asked for her name Anu repeatedly replied Olivia between sobs and profanities
the dispatcher instructed her to provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the victim but a new explained there was too
much blood coming out of his mouth and his teeth wouldn't open she pleaded what am i doing he'll be all right won't he
Oh God I can't I can't although the ambulance dispatch station was only one kilometer
from Joe when two News townhouse on antal Street it took paramedics eight minutes to arrive due to the evasive
answers she gave to the emergency hotline when they arrived Anu ran onto the street and waved them
down for dark hair was in a loose bun and her white dress was streaked with brown stains she directed them inside
and into a bedroom where Joe was lying diagonally across the bed naked from the waist down his stomach was bloated and
dark brown vomit was caked around his mouth despite the paramedics efforts he could
not be resuscitated a new bag to them to keep trying throwing herself on Joe's body and sobbing you have to bring him
back it wasn't supposed to happen this way we were supposed to go together police were summoned to the scene where
they found a new rocking back and forth cradling Joe's body they physically removed her from the bedroom and
commenced questioning during which Anu explained that she had given Joe for rohypnol tablets and had also taken some
herself she then injected herself and Joe with heroin saying I just kept pumping it into him to put him to sleep
so he wouldn't be awake when I killed myself a new Singh was promptly placed under
arrest for murder and taken into custody the Cinque family were informed of Jo's
death later that evening in the book could Jo Cinque weighs consolation by Helen gana Maria Cinque said that when
they were told a woman had been charged with Jo's murder they immediately knew and knew was involved her youngest son
Anthony punched a hole through a door exclaiming that [ __ ] has killed my brother
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asphyxiation while under the influence of heroin and rohypnol both of which were respiratory depressants the typical
concentration of heroin found in the body of an overdose victim was between 0.2 and 0.5 milligrams per liter and -
the amount in Joe's system was 0.67 milligrams per liter the police seized the Joe's daily planner and discovered
he had entered an appointment for 2:00 p.m. on Monday October 27 two days after the second dinner party which read get
ready to move he had drawn an arrow to 6:00 p.m. riding alongside it move urgent today when the Cinque is visited
Joe's house following his death that were unable to find any of his luggage this coupled with the diary entry led
them to believe that Joe had intended to leave a new police executed a search warrant at the
home of a News best friend Madhavi Rael in her bedroom they found a packet of rohypnol used syringe packs
alcohol swabs and several pamphlets about drugs veins and arteries they also found her news torn up diary
in her rubbish bin Madhavi was taken to the police station and for her involvement in the crime was
also charged with the murder of Joe Cinque along with attempted murder unlawful and felonious slaying and
administering a stupefying drug in response to the charges Madhavi said I tried at every stage to
intercede three days later her parents secured her $100,000 bail and she was released on the condition that she
remained under their supervision at their home in Sydney Anu and Madhavi were scheduled to be tried together a
year later with a new held in custody while awaiting trial from the remand Center where she was incarcerated she
found a friend and to request that he bring her all the relevant High Court cases where the defendant had
successfully pleaded not guilty due to reasons of insanity the duo's joint trial commenced the
Canberra Supreme Court on Tuesday October 6 1998 before justice can crispin a new pleaded not guilty to
Joe's murder for reason of diminished responsibility this meant she accepted she had broken the law but should not be
held criminally liable as her mental functioning was impaired when the crime occurred she claimed she was suffering
from untreated borderline personality disorder and major depressive disorder which was characterized by
self-destructive behavior explosive anger self-harm distorted self-image unstable relationships fear of
abandonment chronic feelings of emptiness and having a false sense of reality the friend who had supplied Anu with the
heroin she used to kill Joe was granted immunity in exchange for providing evidence against the two accused in
court numerous witnesses testified to knowing about a news plans to carry out a murder-suicide and said that Mahdavi
had assisted her the defense team tried to use these admissions against the witnesses by questioning why they didn't
intervene and to many struggled to offer an explanation during the fourth week of
the trial it became apparent to Justice crispin that the evidence accumulating against the new would likely cause
unfair prejudice against her co-accused he terminated the proceedings ordering Anu and Madhavi to face separate trials
at a later date the prosecution then offered a new the option of pleading guilty to manslaughter in exchange for a
reduced sentence but she refused maintaining her innocence while awaiting her second trial a letter written by Anu
was seized from her locker it began I have decided to write down how this happened to get it clear in my mind also
she went on to describe all of the events that led to Joe's death starting from when she and D'Amato he visited the
library to photocopy information about suicide she said she had initially intended to end her own life but after
reading stories about partners who remarried a year or two after the suicide of a loved one she decided it
was only fair that Joe died with her from then all she thought about was death a new road
didn't I think at the time that these friends of mine were helping me to die didn't I stop and to think then that Joe
was helping me to live no I felt compelled to do it because I thought everyone was against
me and only cared if Joe died or not then I wasn't sure whether to call the ambulance
because Madhavi said if you called the ambulance he will leave you and put you in an institution in another letter
addressed to her mother a new road the most wonderful man in the world loved me so much would have made a perfect
husband and father ruined perfect life ruined now everyone is better off than me when I had at all
I bet everyone is laughing at me now because of my own utter stupidity and selfishness you must start preparing for
my death now my life is over I made the wrong choice when so many others were available at the time worked
with the druggies rather than Joe should have protected him and too worked with him now so many lives are ruined I wish
these druggies were dead and not Joe not Joe mum please not Joe a new solo trial commenced on Monday
March 22 1999 this time there was no jury present and she was tried by judge alone in support of a news plea of not
guilty forensic psychologist dr. Kenneth Bern testified he stated that Anu had been suffering from severe depression
and a borderline personality disorder since her teens and was lost in a delusional world where she truly
believed she was going to die from a degenerative disease his diagnosis was bolstered by professor of forensic
psychology Paul Mullen who said that Anu was suffering from a significant depressive illness throughout 1997 which
culminated in Joe Ching quays death consultant psychiatrist to dr. Fatma Loden who had spent an extended period
of time speaking with Anu in custody also supported this diagnosis adding that a news personality disorder was
exacerbated by her bulimia and substance abuse had she accepted treatment earlier
dr. Loudoun believed a news mental state would have improved dramatically she recommended the accused be spared jail
and instead be hospitalized for up to six months to undergo psychiatric treatment followed with five years of
medication and seven years of psychotherapy the prosecution argued that anews actions were not impacted by
her mental state and that she was perfectly capable of making rational decisions at the time of Joe's death
this was supported by her decision to wait before calling an ambulance along with the intentionally evasive and
misleading answers she gave the emergency services dispatcher as though she was hindering efforts to save Joe's
life they argued that if Anu was as depressed the psychologists believed she would have killed herself after Joe as
per her alleged plan her torn-up diary found in Mart of his rubbish bin had been painstakingly
pieced back together and the prosecution believed that displayed a looming vent that are against Joe they asserted the
entries were rational and didn't exhibit any indication of mental illness on the
contrary they showed that Anu was capable of developing and maintaining normal intimate relationships and
friendships quoting a news own statement that she had watched a Joe die and didn't save him the prosecution asked
why is that a psychiatric illness wasn't she just a very selfish young woman the letters penned by Anu during her
time in custody were used as evidence that she considered her actions deliberate selfish and wrong further
proving she was of rational mind various witnesses who described a new in such terms as dramatic outgoing psycho and
fixated stated their belief that she appeared healthy and today therefore never believed her when she said she
intended to kill herself the prosecution's argument was supported by psychologist dr. Michael diamond he
concluded that Anu was of sound mind when she murdered Joe and two that her problem lay in a lack of maturity which
impaired her ability to handle complex emotions control her moods and rationally resolve conflict the fact
that she had called a friend seeking advice to try and reverse what she had done was evidence that she wanted to
avoid trouble with the authorities dr. diamond quote the whole scheme with its support roles and a large cast of extras
had been a tremendous drama she was staging part of her narcissistic need to be taken seriously and helped she
derived so much gratification from being at the center of this drama that the point was not to commit suicide
forensic toxicologist professor Olaf drummer testified that he was not certain how often Anu had administered
the heroin to Joe as the level of the drug in his body was so high that it could have come from a large single dose
or an accumulation of smaller doses but he believed - Joe was likely given one injection at approximately 3:00 a.m. on
Sunday October 26 1997 and - then injected again about 80 hours later explaining on an opiate naive person
like a Joe Cinque any fair-sized the dose of heroin would have a powerful effect and combined with rohypnol it
would be even more likely to kill him a victim impact statement prepared by Maria Cinque was read silently by
justice Crispin who didn't disclose its contents to the packed courthouse at the
completion of the trial justice Crispin acknowledged the profound challenged this case presented while he was
satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Anu intended to cause Joe's death he accepted she was suffering from quote an
abnormality of mind that substantially impaired her mental ability making it impossible to know what she was thinking
at the time or what caused her to take such actions the case that captured national interest
and on Thursday June 24 1999 camera crews and journalists lined the staircases of the courthouse eager to
hear the verdict the Cinque family sat in the front row with Maria crying silently into a handkerchief the
proceedings had left them in a state of disbelief they were unable to accept that so many people had passively died
with their son knowing full well that his death was imminent and had chosen not to warn him or contact authorities
just as Crispin addressed the nude directly saying in the next few years you will have come to terms with the
fact that you killed the man you loved you have caused immense pain if you find that the moral courage you may be able
to rebuild from this wreckage to repay the trust people have put in you he then declared her not guilty of Jochen quays
murder but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility Anu
Singh was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a non-parole period of four years back dated to the time of Jo's
death this meant she would be eligible for release in a little over two years the short sentence devastated the Cinque
family when justice Crispin left the courtroom Marija turned to a new and a yield this is where you belong you stay
forever rot in hell new [ __ ] devil she's a demon my son that's all four years how can you sleep
at night for years is that all my son is worth outside the courthouse Maria told the
gathering media that a new should have been sentenced the death by hanging Maria's outrage was echoed by the public
who believed the new had successfully fooled the court into getting away with murder there was widespread doubt over
the extent her mental illness played on her actions and many were of the opinion
that she would have received a much harsher sentence had she been trialed by a jury who would have had a more
emotional response to the case injustice Crispin's sentencing report he wrote the
events which have led to this case have been tragic mr. Cinque was an intelligent
well-educated and handsome young man of 26 who was obviously devoted to the prisoner into looking forward to sharing
his life with her there has been no suggestion that the actions which caused his death were in any way provoked by
his conduct on the contrary it seems clear that he had faithfully supported the prisoner through very difficult
times she herself referred to him as the most wonderful man in the world yet despite
these qualities and he's undoubted live for her she killed him she did so deliberately her actions were
premeditated and involved some significant planning there were no extenuating circumstances other than her
own mental state and she was acquitted of murder only upon grounds of diminished responsibility
were it not for her diminished responsibility the crime would obviously have warranted a very heavy sentence of
imprisonment night of arouse judge only trial began six months later on Friday December 10
1999 she pleaded not guilty to the four charges against her murder attempted murder unlawful and felonious
slaying and administering a stupefying drug the prosecution clarified they didn't believe Madhavi had caused the
church inque's death but was criminally responsible for anews actions by aiding and abetting her in offenses she knew
were intended to end his life as Marta V was fully aware of a news plot to kill Joe they said she had failed her duty of
care to save him the prosecution believed Amato V was present when a new spot to judge drink with rohypnol after
the second dinner party and that the two women had too likely given him the first
injection of heroin thereafter but it failed to result in his death Marta V's defense lawyer put forward that his
client could not be convicted of administering a stupefying drug as it couldn't be proven what time Joe was
injected with the lethal dose of heroin he argued that Mart of his duty of care ended on the morning of Sunday October
26 when she told her new that she no longer wanted anything to do with the plan when she saw Joe Hill in his
bedroom she no longer had a duty of care as they were associated by friendship only and - not by marriage or family
justice Crispin interjected asking isn't it a rather chilling concept that one could take part in a plan to kill
somebody go out and buy the drugs for the job and to then say simply I'm washing my hands of it now I've got no
responsibility let him die the defense maintained - that Marta V had no more legal culpability than a
complete stranger or innocent bystander numerous witnesses testified that Marta V was alarmingly passive in her
friendship with Anu and that she went to one healthy lengths to put best friends needs ahead of her own
murder he was described as warm gentle and eager to please she therefore had difficulty standing up for herself and
to let the far more dominant Anu take advantage of her about one stage she told a classmate I've got a friend who's
suicidal she smothers me a prison welfare officer testified that during madhavi's short time in custody before
securing bail she overheard Anu putting the pressure on Mahdavi to get their story straight
later Marta V confided in the welfare officer about why she went along with a news plan she explained that she had a
sister with a disability and would never have been able to forgive herself for abandoning Anu if she discovered she
really did have a serious degenerative illness according to the defense the lack of clear evidence confirming
exactly what had happened in the lead-up to Jo's death meant that would be unreasonable to convict their client on
any charges on Friday December 20 justice Crispin accepted this viewpoint and declared Madhavi not guilty of all
four charges he concluded that although her behavior was suspicious the evidence
was not indisputably Demming it was undeniable she was aware that Jo was in danger but this didn't prove she shared
a news criminal intent or aided her in causing his death in addition justice Crispin couldn't discount the
possibility that Madhavi was going along with a news plan with the intention of persuading her to change her mind or was
too timid to intervene he also acknowledged Mahdavi may have thought the whole scheme was just another one of
the news melodramatic plans that would never come to fruition Maria Renta Nino Cinque yelled in
protest and had to be escorted out of the court later that evening Nino collapsed and was rushed to
hospital where he underwent treatment for heart problems over Marta Bea's verdict a new sing later said it's my
fault entirely I was hysterical and she just loved me and wanted to help me what
would sending her to jail have really done would it have eased Maria and Denis knows pain anymore it seems it's
perpetuating sorrow on so many people her family would have suffered as my family suffered I don't put any blame on
Marta V a new served her sentence at the silver water Correctional Complex a maximum-security prison 20 kilometres
west of the Sydney CBD where she worked in the prison library intruded other inmates she underwent psychotherapy and
was prescribed with medication used to treat a range of mental health issues including depression anxiety and
obsessive compulsive disorder she was eventually transferred to the EMU Plains Correctional Centre and granted de
release to attend classes at the University of Sydney where she obtained a master's in criminology in October of
2001 she was released on parole at the age of 29 in 2004 she breached her parole conditions by smoking cannabis
and served an additional three months in jail in 2009 Anu was awarded a Doctorate
by the University of Sydney's Law Faculty after completing a thesis titled offending women toward a greater
understanding of women's pathways into and out of crime in Australia she has since admitted that she lied in
1997 when she told at university counselor that Joe had been abusive towards her in a 2004 interview with ABC
News she said that although Joe had expressed frustration that Anu was no longer the
happy and friendly person he had first met in 1995 he never indicated that he intended to leave her she discussed her
suicidal thoughts with him and he encouraged her to persevere with life when asked why she killed Joe
Anu stated there's absolutely no legitimate or rational motivation at all Anu now lives in Sydney and is in a
long-term relationship with a fellow inmate she met during her time on remand she accepts full responsibility for
Joe's death Marta V Rao changed her name and moved to the United States where she
lives with her husband and children many of their classmates and friends who attended the dinner parties and failed
to notify authorities of a news plan to murder Joe went on to practice law the townhouse on Antal Street that Anu and
joe shared has since been demolished to make way for a new government housing project for many years
Joe's childhood bedroom at his parents house in Newcastle remained untouched his single beds sat underneath a wall
plastered with posters and photos alongside an exercise bike O'Brien desk and a shelf piled with books the [ __ ]
ways are still unable to grasp why Madhavi nor any of the others had come to Joe's aid nino Cinque told ABC News
why you don't call the ambulance why you don't call the police when you see a person dying if you see a dog on the
street from a car accident you call somebody to help the bloody dog it's a man dying why you don't call the
ambulance Joe Cinque weighs death is often cited as an example of the bystander effect a
social psychological claim that individuals are less likely to help someone in need when others are present
filmmaker satiric dhenuka explored this theme in his 2016 movie titled church inque's consolation based on Helen
Garner's 2007 book of the same name he told her vice magazine the narrative is so extreme you ask yourself how could
this occur even with what you might know about the individuals we're talking about the execution of someone a life
being blacked off the face of the earth these people wanted to go to these dinner parties into their own inner
dialogue said this has nothing to do with me and yet the act of being spectators
maintained a news momentum that gave her an audience to a narcissist an audience is part of the air that they
breathe in 2017 a new appeared on Australian television current affairs programme Sunday night and to made a
public apology to the Cinque family stating there are many things people don't understand there's a lot of things
that have been overlooked I was suffering from a very very severe mental illness at the time if I could have
listened to people and sought the right sort of mental help this wouldn't have happened I would like to say to Maria
and Denis know that I am deeply deeply sorry for what happened and that if I could if there was any way I could turn
back the clock I would do so in a heartbeat in the same program maria cinque rejected the apology calling anew that
devil and responding don't tell me this [ __ ] you have killed the most precious thing i had in my life
my first son my firstborn the one that was going to carry his grandfather's name is not here anymore
[Music] you

Case 130: Joe Cinque

At the beginning of 1995, Joe Cinque joined his mates for a night out at a club in Newcastle called The Brewery. There he met 22-year-old Anu Singh...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research – Jessica Forsayeth Writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-130-joe-cinque

Brief Summary

Joe Cinque's tragic death by Anu Singh reveals mental health struggles and the consequences of a toxic relationship.

Key points

The Struggles of Anu Singh. Anu's mental health deteriorates as she battles bulimia and depression, leading to drastic actions.
A Dangerous Relationship. Joe's relationship with Anu becomes increasingly toxic, culminating in a suicide pact.
Tragic Outcome. Joe Cinque dies from an overdose, leading to Anu's arrest for murder.
Anu's Disturbing Confession. Anu reveals her chilling plan to inject Joe with heroin, believing it would end their lives together.
Mental Health Defense. Anu pleads not guilty due to diminished responsibility, citing severe mental health issues.
Justice Declares Not Guilty. Justice Crispin declares Anu not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Don't make me choose.

Joe's response to his mother's warning about Anu.

6:53WatchNov 9, 2019

Tension

80/ 100High tension

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