Scorned villainess Amelia Verber
Amelia Verber (Judith Evelyn; 1909-1967) is the main villainess from "Guilty Witness," episode 1.11 of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (airdate December 11, 1955). She is the wife of Ben Verber, and they were the neighbors of Dorothy and Stanley Crane.
However, the Verbers' marriage wasn't a good one, as they constantly fought due to Ben's habitual philandering. Dorothy noticed bruising on Amelia's face when she entered Stanley's grocery store, and later on, the Cranes were ear-witnesses to another fight between the couple. Ben's disappearance after their latest fight led to the suspicion that Amelia killed her husband, with Sgt. Halloran looking on the case. Amelia visited the store once more, and gave a claim that Ben was away visiting their children's grandparents.
In the episode's climax, Halloran and the Cranes found Ben's body in the basement (inside a baby buggy), and after Amelia walked downstairs and spotted them, she confessed to killing her husband. The villainess revealed that Ben informed her that he was leaving her for another woman, and she killed him in a furious and jealous rage. Amelia stated that Ben wasn't to blame for her actions, Dorothy was, as she was Ben's mistress; the woman that he was planning to leave Amelia for. At that moment, the evil Amelia attacked Dorothy after stating that she should have killed her instead of Ben, all the while Stanley was left shocked over the revelation that his wife was cheating on him. Amelia was later arrested (off-screen) for killing her husband.
Trivia[]
- Judith Evelyn returned to Alfred Hitchcock Presents as the evil Mabel McKay during the second season.