Julia DeLuney is accused of murdering her 79-year-old mother. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
The jury has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of Julia DeLuney, accused of violently murdering her 79-year-old mother.
Helen Gregory was killed on 24 January, 2024, at her home in the Wellington suburb of Khandallah.
DeLuney has been on trial at the High Court in Wellington since 23 June, with the Crown arguing she attacked her mother with a heavy object, possibly motivated by financial incentives or following a confrontation over stolen cash, and staging the scene to look like a fall from the attic.
But the defence said it was a case of mistaken identity, calling the police investigation "one-eyed" and arguing they didn't properly investigate alternative suspects - for example, a mysterious door-knocker late that same night further down the street, who was not there when the homeowner opened the door.
Justice Peter Churchman urged the jury members to carefully consider the evidence they had heard over the course of the trial, in line with each side's closing argument.
He reminded the jurors that although DeLuney had been shown to lie, according to the evidence of a number of witnesses including financial experts and family members, it did not mean she necessarily committed the crime of murder.
It is not in dispute that Helen Gregory was killed on the night of 24 January, 2024. What the jury must decide is whether it was DeLuney who killed her.
The possible outcome is murder or nothing - the Crown is not pursuing a charge of manslaughter.
The jury retired for the night at about 5pm and will reconvene on Wednesday morning.
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