Eugenia

This is the true crime account of the man known as Eugenia Falleni, who in 1920 was charged with the murder of his wife.

Assigned female at birth, Eugenia Falleni lived in Australia for twenty-two years under the name Harry Crawford, and during that time officially married twice. He lived a full married life with his first wife, Annie, for four years before Annie realised that her husband was transgender. They continued to live together for eight months before they went on a bush picnic, when Annie mysteriously died. Her body was not identified for almost three years, and during this time Harry married again, this time to Lizzie. When Harry was finally arrested and charged with Annie's murder, the police attempted to tell Lizzie that her husband was biologically female. She laughed at them – she thought she was pregnant to him.

This is the story of one of the most extraordinary criminal trials in legal history. The book traces Harry’s history: from being raised as a girl in an Italian immigrant family in New Zealand, to his brutal treatment when he first began living as a man, and his twenty-two years in Sydney including his two marriages. Finally, the trial of Eugenia Falleni for Annie's murder is extensively analysed by the author, Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi KC, one of Australia's foremost criminal law barristers.

‘Outstanding new true-crime … A grimly fascinating and extraordinary tale.’The Age

‘In the hands of NSW Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi, Eugenia’s story is gripping.’Australian Women’s Weekly

‘Tedeschi writes with a deep compassion ... and makes us all consider how fear, prejudice and ignorance can affect lives, even today.’Herald Sun