Marks Goodmacher

Marks Goodmacher was convicted of the murder of his 24-year-old daughter Fanny Zetoun and sentenced to death.

He cut her throat at 17 Grove Street, St George's in the East, London on 23 September 1920.

After he attempted suicide.

Marks Goodmacher had been a jew from Egypt and had lived with his wife in Lambeth Street, Whitechapel. He had worked as a tailor's presser.

Fanny Zetoun had been his daughter by his first wife.

In February 1920 Fanny Zetoun married and four or five months after the marriage she and her husband moved in with Marks Goodmacher. However, Marks Goodmacher constantly assaulted and threatened Fanny Zetoun, and it was stated that it was clear on the evidence given by her friend at the inquest, as well as her husband, that Marks Goodmacher was jealous of her husband and wanted Fanny Zetoun to allow him to have connection with her, if in fact he was not already doing so.

However, Fanny Zetoun resented her father's attentions and she and her husband removed to 17 Grove Street in Whitechapel.

However, that in turn annoyed Marks Goodmacher very much and on 15 September 1920, whilst Fanny Zetoun was visiting a friend who lived near Marks Goodmacher's house in Lambeth Street, Marks Goodmacher came in and threatened to 'rip up her belly', it being noted that at the time she had been four or five months pregnant.

The Jewish Black Fast was on 22 September 1920 and it was custom on the eve of the event for friends who had quarrelled to visit each other and make it up, however, Fanny Zetoun and her husband decided that under the circumstances that it was useless to visit her father and so they didn't. However, that also annoyed Marks Goodmacher and in the middle of the night he was heard shouting and threatening that he would kill his daughter.

The following day, whilst Fanny Zetoun was alone in her room at 17 Grove Street, Marks Goodmacher found her there and cut her throat and then somewhat severely wounded himself in the throat.

A neighbour who lived in the room below saw blood coming through the ceiling and when Fanny Zetoun's husband returned from work she drew his attention to it.

The door to his room was locked, but when they entered they found Fanny Zetoun dead on the bed with Marks Goodmacher lying beside her.

A bloodstained razor that had belonged to Fanny Zetoun's husband and which was normally kept in a washstand cupboard, lay on the pillow.

Linen and underclothing, which was kept in a box, had been cut to pieces, evidently with the razor.

A set a spoons had also been bent and the case broken up.

A few treasury notes were also found, torn into small pieces, behind a wardrobe.

The only defence that Marks Goodmacher’s counsel put forward at the trial was insanity, however, there was no evidence to support it. The doctor that was called for the defence said that although he found Marks Goodmacher to be a very nervous and hysterical man, that he had not been able to detect any sign of insanity in him whatever.

Marks Goodmacher denied murdering Fanny Zetoun.

He said that he had gone to visit her and had found her with her throat cut. He also denied having ever threatened her, or having had any sexual intercourse with her, and said that she had committed suicide because her husband ill-treated her.

However, the police report stated that there was no doubt that he had been lying.

It was noted that Fanny Zetoun and her husband had been devoted to each other and it was clear that Marks Goodmacher had been jealous of Fanny Zetoun's husband and that he had killed Fanny Zetoun because she had refused to have anything to do with him.

He was convicted with no recommendation to mercy and the police report stated that there was no reason to interfere with his sentence.

Marks Goodmacher was executed at Pentonville on 30 December 1920.

Grove Street has since been mostly redeveloped. However, the cobbles from the top part, Ropewalk Gardens off Commercial Street and the cobbles from the bottom part, Berchmans Close from Cable Street still exist, along with the cobbles of part of the middle which runs along what is today Golding Street.