Betty Ferreri was accused of using a meat cleaver to murder her womanizing husband, Jerry Ferreri, in their posh Los Angeles neighborhood.
Jerry and Betty had met in New Brunswick, N.J. She was the daughter of Hungarian immigrants and worked at a small cafe. He was the son to a “big man” in New York politics who had suspected connections to the mob. When they met in the early 1940s, Jerry was 24, Betty was 18.
They moved to Los Angeles in 1943, looking for a fresh start.
Jerry cruised the town looking for women. He beat Betty regularly.
On Oct. 26, Jerry brought a young model home with him and Betty went into a rage. Jerry left, when he returned he dragged Betty by the hair into a pantry. A handyman who was renting a room in the couple’s apartment heard the screams, borrowed a gun and shot Jerry.
When Jerry didn’t immediately die, Betty pounded his head with a cleaver. She and the handyman were eventually acquitted.
