Khandallah murder trial: Crown says accused Julia DeLuney simply lost control

RNZ News

2 days ago

The Crown says Julia DeLuney (R), pictured here with her mother Helen Gregory on Christmas 2023, did not visit her mother with the intention of killing her, but completely lost control on 24 January, 2024.
Photo:
SUPPLIED
The Crown says on the evening of 24 January last year, murder-accused Julia DeLuney simply lost control.
DeLuney is on trial at the High Court in Wellington,
accused of murdering her mother
, 79-year-old Helen Gregory, in a violent,
possibly financially-motivated attack
, which she denies.
The Crown began its closing argument on Thursday afternoon, delivered by lead prosecutor Stephanie Bishop.
"You will no doubt, members of the jury, have personal feelings about what you've heard throughout the course of this trial," she said. "You will no doubt feel sorry for Mrs Gregory, and the violent end to her life, and you'll of course, you'll no doubt feel sorry for her whanau."
But she said it was "vitally important" that they put aside those feelings of sympathy, prejudice, sorrow and anger - both for Helen Gregory, and Julia DeLuney.
"You can be a daughter who loves her mother, and still do something horrendous."
Crown prosecutor Stephanie Bishop began the Crown's closing arguments on Thursday.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
The Crown's case remains that, on that evening, DeLuney went round to her mother's house to book tickets for the ballet - a birthday present for Gregory later that year.
There is no dispute from the defence that she was there that evening, making her the only known person to visit the house, and therefore with ample opportunity to commit the murder.
Julia DeLuney has been taking notes throughout her trial but did not give evidence, nor did the defence call any witnesses.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
"The Crown does not suggest that Mrs DeLuney went to her mother's house that night with the intent to kill or hurt her - rather, the Crown case is that something happened. Something changed and resulted in Mrs DeLuney completely losing control."
The defence did not call any witnesses, and
DeLuney did not give evidence herself
, but her lawyer Quentin Duff has argued throughout that police did not properly investigate the idea of someone else causing Gregory's fatal injuries.
He said there was a 90-minute window in which DeLuney left her injured mother to get help, in which a third party attacked her, and left her dead or dying.
Defence lawyer Quentin Duff says Gregory was killed by someone other than her daughter, who had gone to get help after her mother fell from the attic.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
Bishop will continue closing the Crown's case on Friday, followed by the defence.
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