Husband Charged With Murder

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31121, 26 July 1966, Page 3

Husband Charged With Murder

fN.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, July 25. Robert Matthews, a 39-year-old blacksmith, pleaded not guilty to a charge of the murder of his wife when he appeared before Mr Justice Gresson and a jury in the Supreme Court at Auckland today.

Matthews, who is represented by Mr P. A. Williams and Mr K. Ryan, faces a charge of the murder of Eliza Matthews at Glen Innes on March U. Mr D. S. Morris is conducting the Crown case. Jack Raymond O'Connell, of Glen Innes, said he lived near Matthews. He said he went totfhe Glen Innes Hotel about

4.10 p.m. on March 11. He’ went home with Matthews and they drank a bottle of beer. Mrs Matthews was not home. O'Connell said that Matthews brought home a dozen of beer. Later he went down to O’Connell's house with two bottles of beer. Matthews was in the sitting room. He did not see Mrs Matthews. O’Connell said he heard a scream. He did not stay at the house for very long. Jane O’Connell, wife of the previous witness, said that on the morning of March 11 she saw Eliza Matthews getting into a taxi. She did not see her return home that day. Mrs O'Connell said her husband came home about 7.30 p.m. Matthews arrived later. ■ Matthews's.. 14-year-old daughter, Suzanne, came to the bouse and told her father her mother^'had come home

drunk and had gone to bed. said Mrs O’Connell. Matthews left later and afterwards Susanne returned to see Mrs O’Connell. Mrs O’Connell said she and her husband went to Matthews’s house. She waited outside. She heard Mrs Matthews calling out. She did not do anything about it and went home. Susanne came to the house again later and Mrs O’Connell said she went back and into the bedroom where Matthews and his wife usually slept. “I saw Matthews giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,” said Mrs O'Connell. “Eliza was lying on the i floor.” I Matthews told Susanne to ' ring the police and the ambulance. said Mrs O’Connell.

A console, Thomas Barry

Tremewan, said that on March 11 about 11.15 p.m. when he returned to the Glen Innes police station he found two children sitting on the station steps. One was Susanne Matthews. He took the children home. Matthews entered the front door wearing only a pair of trousers. “1 asked him what the fighting had been between him and his wife and he said: ‘My wife has been drinking all day. 1 have had a few dnnks. We had an argument. She hit me and I bit her back. Nothing to worry about’ ” said Tremewan. Tremewan said that later ihe received another message and returned to the bouse. Mrs Matthews was lying on her back on the floor. Her face was badly swollen.

The hearing will continue tomorrow. f