MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Eric Stanley Jacobi was on the brink of facing the hangman’s noose for a brutal crime that shook the community 75 years ago. Convicted of robbing and murdering a 19-year-old orphan with a disability, the so-called “river murder” case had the whole town talking.
The victim, Norman Hurley, was found floating in the Maribyrnong River near Flemington Racecourse, with evidence pointing to a gruesome attack that left him unconscious and ultimately led to his drowning. Described as a “trusting, sober youth” by friends and colleagues, the tragedy deeply impacted the community.
Jacobi initially denied any involvement, but after confessing to luring Hurley with the intention of stealing his money, he incriminated himself, admitting to bludgeoning the young man with an iron bar before leaving him to die. The evidence against Jacobi was compelling, leading to a swift guilty verdict and a sentence of death by hanging.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Jacobi’s sentence was commuted to life in prison after a secret report was presented to Victoria’s premier and his cabinet. The report, by the government’s chief medical officer, shed light on a different side of Jacobi’s character, describing him as “meek and mild” with a low IQ.
This revelation brought about public debate on the state’s capital punishment policies, with speculation that the government was unofficially abolishing the death penalty. However, the premier clarified that each case would be judged on its merits, and the decision to commute Jacobi’s sentence was based on confidential evidence.
Despite the debates and speculation, Jacobi spent the rest of his life behind bars, eventually passing away in 1975. The case of Eric Stanley Jacobi, initially condemned to hang for a brutal murder, continues to raise questions about justice, punishment, and the complexities of criminal behavior.