Sordid end to Korp case

MELBOURNE - Joe Korp, who apparently committed suicide before he could stand trial for the attempted murder of his wife, died an innocent man, his lawyer has said.

Charges against the Melbourne man, who was accused of attempting to murder his wife Maria, will be dropped after Korp, 47, was found hanged at his Melbourne home on Saturday.

It put an end to a sordid case that has ultimately claimed two lives - and damaged dozens more.

Maria Korp never regained consciousness after she was found in the boot of her car near Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance six months ago.

Medical staff stopped feeding her through a tube on the orders of her legal guardian, Public Advocate Julian Gardner.

Korp's mistress Tania Herman, who has been sentenced to nine years in jail, admitted choking her and leaving her for dead.

 

At her court hearing, Tania Herman claimed she had been brainwashed by the manipulative Korp.

Besotted by her lover, who allegedly told her the only way he could get out of his marriage would be if she killed his wife, Herman lay in wait at the Korp home on February 9, wrapped a strap around her neck and pulled it tight.

Herman quickly admitted her guilt to police.

Korp, however, unwaveringly insisted he played no part in the choking of his wife.

She died alone in hospital on August 5, and her husband took his own life just hours after her funeral on Saturday.

He left a suicide letter to his son Damien, 11, on his computer explaining his reasoning, the dead man's brother, Gust, said.

Authorities had been expected to upgrade charges against Korp to include murder, and were waiting for an official report into his wife's death.

But now the charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to murder and intentionally causing serious injury would be withdrawn, said his lawyer, Peter Ward.

"The law presumes him innocent, Ward said.

"Joe never had to prove anything ... It was up to the state to prove his guilt."

"He has died in a state of innocence as far as the law is concerned."

Ward blamed grief over Maria's death and intense public scrutiny for Korp's suicide.

"I have no doubt ... I think from the moment he was allowed to visit his wife in hospital when they removed the feeding tube, I think he became very depressed and I think it got worse and worse.

"It is clear that he didn't cope and he was overborne with the grief of her death."

Herman met Korp through an internet chat room, and the court case had opened a Pandora's box of tales of sex sites, wife-swapping parties, family intrigues, coercion, violence, theft, fraud and a conniving clairvoyant. The media had been camped outside Korp's house for a week.

Ward said the "real story" would now never emerge.

Korp did not attend his wife's funeral because he did not want his presence to detract from the dignity of the event.

- AAP