Casefile True Crime - Case 130: Joe Cinque

Episode Date: November 9, 2019

On Sunday, October 26 1997, an emergency services dispatcher in Canberra received a hysterical call from a young woman who refused to provide clear answers to basic questions. Between sobs, she requested an ambulance to treat a suspected heroin overdose. --- Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Episode researched by Jessica Forsayeth Episode written by Elsha McGill Creative Director: Milly Raso For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-130-joe-cinque

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Ever since she was a little girl, Maria Chincway 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 Nino,

who were both Italian immigrants, were besotted with 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 Newcastle, a harbour city on Australia's east coast, 160km north from Sydney. Maria and Nino relished the constant buzz of activity their sons contributed around their household and looked forward to each evening when the family would gather for dinner at the kitchen table and share stories about their day. The walls of the Chincway's 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 travelling through Europe for two months. Upon his return to Australia he resumed 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 socialised, with people naturally drawn to his easy-going attitude and sense of humour. 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 but 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 Joe and the pair commenced a romantic fling. When she returned to Canberra, her boyfriend Simon found out about her infidelity and ended their relationship. Following the breakup, Anu began seeing Joe again on a casual basis. In mid-1996, they entered a long-distance relationship while Anu returned to study law at Canberra's Australian National University, 450km south of Newcastle. The couple initially kept their relationship a secret from Anu's parents, who wanted her to

remain single while she completed her studies. Joe told his family that if the Sings ever called their house wanting to know who he was, they should say he was a friend of Anu's brother. He was completely smitten with Anu and prioritised 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 9am. Anu had several long-going health problems, and if she was unwell, Joe would sometimes leap work in the middle of the week and fly to Canberra to take care of her.

Maria and Nino Chinque noticed a distinct change in their son's behaviour after he started dating Anu. According to the book Joe Chinque's Consolation by Helen Garner, 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 Revental Street in the suburb of Downer, four kilometres from Anu's university. They had grand plans for their future and opened a joint bank account called

Anu and 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 Chinque described Anu as the perfect house guest, but deep down, she had an instinctive feeling that Anu was not right for her son. Before Anu entered a relationship with Joe, she had been left devastated by her breakup with Simon. She was particularly hurt by a claim he made that she was, quote, intellectually inferior. The comment had a profound impact on the headstrong Anu, who had a tendency to look down on those she deemed stupid, and it marked a dramatic turning

point in her behaviour. 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, a needing disorder characterised by binge eating episodes followed by self-induced vomiting, fasting, and the misuse of laxatives and diuretics. She spiralled into a deep depression and moved back in with her parents, who were deeply concerned by her behaviour. She only consumed soft drinks and the occasional chocolate biscuit, and 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. Joe was aware of the struggles Anu

was facing and supported her wholeheartedly as a caretaking role came naturally to him. When he was eight years old, his family was involved in a serious car accident. Maria suffered a debilitating foot injury, and young Joe stepped up to help with the household chores. Despite being told it was a doctor's responsibility to help Anu, Joe 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 Joe by her side, Anu's 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 dishevelled. 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. Anu 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, Anu approached Maria Chinque, hoping she would understand her ongoing health issues given Maria's own experience following the car accident. Anu was anxiously pacing and fidgeting, bleeding 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 Joe 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 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 Anu admitted for treatment, but as she wasn't considered a danger to herself or others, they couldn't admit her without her permission. Anu blamed her undiagnosed condition on Ithaca cira, a vomit inducing medication. Joe 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 for inadvertently introducing her to the medication, which she used to maintain her weight.

In late May, Anu told a friend she hated Joe 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 Canberra's National Library with her closest friend, fellow law student Mardavi Rao. Like Anu, Mardavi had high-achieving Indian parents and excelled academically but was the quieter, more studious of the pair. They sourced a 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. A month later, Anu asked a 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 Anu 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. Anu organized to sell a large collection of her clothes at $1 or $2 per item, telling her father she no longer needed them as she never went out. She also started giving away her CDs, claiming 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 $150 worth of the illicit substance would be enough to cause a recreational user to overdose. A week later, Anu called him wanting to buy half a gram of heroin. She arrived at his house with her friend Mardavis, soon after, and exchanged $250 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 redemonstrate the injection process. On Tuesday, September 23, Anu made an appointment with a university counsellor to discuss her relationship with Jo Qingwei. 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, to 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, Jo 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 Jo 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. Mardavi was invited and brought along another friend, Olivia, who had never met Jo or Anu before. Prior to the dinner, Mardavi 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 Jo's

lives that night. When the two women arrived at the Antle Street townhouse, Anu told them she had prepared 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 Mardavi and Olivia to door-knock the area to see if anyone else wanted to join them. By then, rumors of Anu's intentions had spread, spurring other students, some of whom were total strangers, to attend to the party out of morbid curiosity. Anu acted 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. Mardavi drove several of the guests home,

telling them the suicide plot was going ahead later that night. Her passengers asked if they should seek medical help, but Mardavi ordered them not to do a thing. They were still uncertain if the entire scenario was a joke, but ultimately decided that it was Anu's choice if she wanted to end her own life and doctored not to 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 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. Anu contacted Mardavi and told her what she had done. The day after the dinner party, Mardavi 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, Mardavi 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 to

source rehypno, 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 rehypno tablets and was told that when paired with heroin, only one tablet was needed to render a person unconscious. Anu Under notes 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. Mardavi had told her friend Olivia that the suicide plot was going ahead for real this time, but Olivia dismissed her by saying, People who are going to do this sort of thing don't just talk about it, they go ahead and do it. But Mardavi 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 Anu's 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 rehypnoll. 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 Mardavi. At six the following morning, Mardavi arrived home and told a friend who had spent the night there that Anu had put 10 rehypnoll 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, Mardavi stated, Joe's the problem. She wants to take Joe with her. It's because she blames him for her condition. After consulting with her friend, Mardavi decided she wasn't going to have any further involvement in Anu's plan. As the day continued, word of Anu's persistent efforts to kill Joe spread throughout their friendship circle. One friend threatened to contact the police, but Anu 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. But as she had never gone through with self-harm, most remained convinced this was just another of her telltales. Anu admitted to those concerned that she had given Joe three rehypnal 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, Anu called a friend named Len who had attended the second dinner party. Len was fully aware of Anu's sinister plans, but had quashed the concerns of others by expressing

his opinion that the whole story was just a cry for attention. His answering machine recorded part of their conversation as Anu inquired how strong rehypnal 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 Len, hey mate, my mind is 100% functional, my body just wants to sleep like crazy, that's all. She's worried for nothing. Shortly after midnight, Anu phoned another friend wanting to know if it was possible to shoot

heroin into your legs or the back of your arms. The following morning of Sunday, October 26, 1997, Anu visited Mardavi 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 Mardavi gave Anu $250 cash before walking home alone. At 9am, Anu arrived to her dealer's house and purchased half a gram of heroin. While it was being prepared in a syringe for her, she paced back and forth, repeatedly saying, today's the day. Between 9.13am and 9.40am, Anu phoned Mardavi several times. During one call, a housemate overheard Mardavi telling Anu to leave her alone, but she eventually caved and

told Anu to come and pick her up. Soon after, the pair were witnessed having a heated conversation outside Mardavi's home, with Anu appearing to be very distressed. Approximately two hours later, Mardavi visited Len and informed him that after Joe awoke from his rehypnoll induced sleep the night before, he told Anu he was going to leave her. Mardavi then explained, Anu 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 ploy, and was shocked to hear Anu had gone through with her plan. He suggested they call Anu's parents to tell them what happened, in case she later claimed Joe had taken the overdose himself.

Concerned that Anu may turn up at his house to seek their help, Len and Mardavi went for a drive, during which Mardavi admitted she had visited 79 Antel 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, Anu phoned the friend who had helped her obtain rehypnoll. 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't. 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 pm, 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 dispatcher's repeated requests

for her address. Anu finally gave the address of 30 Antle 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 Anu 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 and Anu's townhouse on

Antle 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. Her 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. Anu begged 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 Anu 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 four rehypnal 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. Anu Singh was promptly placed under arrest for murder and taken into custody. The Chinque family were informed of Joe's death later that evening. In the book Joe Chinque's Consolation by Helen Garner, Maria Chinque said that when they were

told a woman had been charged with Joe's murder, they immediately knew Anu was involved. Her youngest son, Anthony, punched a hole through a door, exclaiming, that bitch has killed my brother. Autopsy and toxicology reports confirmed Joe Chinque died as a result of asphyxiation while under the influence of heroin and rehypnal, 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 litre, and the amount in Joe's system was 0.67 milligrams per litre. The police seized the Joe's daily planner and discovered he had entered an appointment for

2 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 p.m. riding alongside it, move urgent, today. When the Chinque's visited Joe's house following his death, they were unable to find any of his luggage. This, coupled with the diary entry, led them to believe that Joe had intended to leave Anu. Police executed a search warrant at the home of Anu's best friend, Mardavi Rao. In her bedroom, they found a packet of rehypnal, used syringe packs, alcohol swabs, and several pamphlets about drugs, veins, and arteries. They also found Anu's torn-up diary in her rubbish bin.

Mardavi was taken to the police station, and for her involvement in the crime, was also charged with the murder of Joe Chinque, along with attempted murder, unlawful and felonious slaying, and administering a stupefying drug. In response to the charges, Mardavi 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 Mardavi were scheduled to be tried together a year later, with Anu held in custody

while awaiting trial. From the Remand Center where she was incarcerated, she phoned a friend and requested 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 at Canberra's Supreme Court on Tuesday, October 6, 1998, before Justice Ken Crispin. Anu 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 Anu's plans to carry out a murder suicide and said that Mardavi had assisted her. The defense team tried to use these admissions against the witnesses by questioning why they didn't intervene, and many struggled to offer an

explanation. During the fourth week of the trial, it became apparent to Justice Crispin that the evidence accumulating against Anu would likely cause unfair prejudice against her co-accused. He terminated the proceedings, ordering Anu and Mardavi to face separate trials at a later date. The prosecution then offered Anu 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

Mardavi 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 die with her. From then, all she thought about was death. Anu wrote, Didn't I think at the time that these friends of mine were helping me to die? Didn't I stop and 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 Mardavi said if you call

the ambulance he will leave you and put you in an institution. In another letter addressed to her mother, Anu wrote, 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 it 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 drugies rather than Joe. Should have protected him and worked with him. Now so many lives are ruined. I wish these drugies were dead and not Joe. Not Joe. Mum. Please not Joe.

Anu's 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 Anu's plea of not guilty, forensic psychologist Dr. Kenneth Byrne testified. He stated that Anu had been suffering from severe depression and 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 Chinque's 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 Anu's personality disorder was exacerbated by her bulimia and substance abuse. Had she accepted treatment earlier, Dr. Loden believed Anu's 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 Anu's 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 as psychologists believed she would have killed herself after Joe as per her alleged plan. Her torn up diary found in Mardavi's rubbish bin had been painstakingly pieced back together and the prosecution believed it displayed a looming vendetta 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 Anu's own statement that she had watched 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 Anu in such terms as dramatic outgoing psycho and fixated stated their belief that she appeared healthy and they therefore never believed her when she said she intended to kill herself. The prosecution's argument was supported by psychiatrist Dr Michael Diamond. He concluded that Anu was of sound mind when she murdered Joe and 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 Olof 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 a.m. on Sunday, October 26, 1997 and to then inject it again about eight hours later, explaining. On an opiate naive person like Joe Chinquay any fair size the dose of heroin would have a powerful effect and combined with rehypno it would be even more likely to kill him. A victim impact statement prepared by Maria Chinquay 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 challenge 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 had 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 Chinquay 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.

Justice Crispin addressed Anu 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 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 Joe Chinquay's 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 backdated to the time of Joe's death. This meant she would be eligible for release in a little over two years. The short sentence devastated the Chinquay family. When Justice Crispin left the

courtroom, Maria turned to Anu and yelled, This is where you belong. You stay forever. Rot in hell you bitch. Devil. She's a demon. My son. That's all. Four years. How can you sleep at night? Four years. Is that all my son is worth? Outside the courthouse, Maria told the gathering media that Anu should have been sentenced to death by hanging. Maria's outrage was echoed by the public who believed Anu 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 trialled by a jury who would have had a more emotional response

to the case. In Justice Crispin's sentencing report, he wrote, The events which have led to this case have been tragic. Mr Chinquay was an intelligent, well-educated and handsome young man of 26 who was obviously devoted to the prisoner and 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 his undoubted love 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. Mardavi Rao's 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 Mardavi had caused Jo Chin Kuei's death but was criminally responsible for Anu's actions by aiding and debating her in offences she knew were

intended to end his life. As Mardavi was fully aware of Anu's plot to kill Jo, they said she had failed her duty of care to save him. The prosecution believed Mardavi was present when Anu spiked to Jo's drink with rehypnol after the second dinner party and that the two women had likely given him the first injection of heroin thereafter but it failed to result in his death. Mardavi'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 Jo was injected with the lethal dose of heroin. He argued that Mardavi's duty of care ended on the morning of Sunday, October 26 when she told Anu that she no longer wanted anything to do with the plan. When she saw Jo ill 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 then say simply, I'm washing my hands of it now, I've got no responsibility, let him die. The defense maintained that Mardavi had no more legal culpability than a complete stranger or innocent bystander. Numerous witnesses testified that Mardavi was alarmingly passive in her friendship with Anu and that she went to unhealthy lengths to put her best friend's needs ahead of her own. Mardavi 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. At one stage, at one stage, she told a classmate, I've got a friend who's suicidal, she smothers me. A prison welfare officer testified that during Mardavi's short time in custody before securing bail, she overheard Anu putting the pressure on Mardavi to get their story straight. Later, Mardavi confided in the welfare officer about why she went along with the 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 Joe's death meant it would be unreasonable to convict their client on any charges. On Friday, December 20, Justice Crispin accepted this viewpoint and declared Mardavi not guilty of all four charges. He concluded that although her behaviour was suspicious, the evidence was not indisputably deeming. It was undeniable she was aware that Joe was in danger, but this didn't prove she shared Anu's criminal intent or aided her in causing his death. In addition, Justice Crispin couldn't discount the possibility that Mardavi was going along with Anu's plan with the intention of persuading her to change her mind, or was too timid to intervene. He also acknowledged Mardavi may have thought the whole scheme was

just another one of Anu's melodramatic plans that would never come to fruition. and Anu's melodramatic plans that would never come to fruition. Maria and Nino Chinque 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. Of Mardavi's verdict, Anu Singh 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 Nino's 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 Mardavi. Anu served her sentence at the Silverwater Correctional Complex, a maximum security prison 20 kilometers west of the Sydney CBD, where she worked in the prison library and tutored 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 Claims Correctional Center and granted day 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 a 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. Mardavi 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 Anu's plan to murder Joe went on to practice law. The townhouse on Antle 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 bed sat underneath a wall plastered with posters and photos alongside an exercise bike, a brown desk and a shelf piled with books. The Chinquays are still unable to grasp why Mardavi nor any of the others had come to Joe's aid. Nino Chinquay 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 Chinquay's 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 Satiri Danukas explored this theme in his 2016 movie titled Joe Chinquay's Consolation based on Helen Garner's 2004 book of the same name. He told 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 and to 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, Anu appeared on Australian television current affairs program Sunday night and made a public apology to the Chinquay 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 to Nino that I am deeply, deeply sorry for what happened and to 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 Chinquay rejected the apology, calling Anu the devil and responding, don't tell me this bullshit. 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. you