FATHER ON MURDER CHARGE

Chronicle (Levin), 3 September 1946, Page 7

FATHER ON MURDER CHARGE

-Press Association

ww. TRAGIC SHOOTING AT KAIAPOI I

87/ Telearavh-

CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 2. The story >of a shooting in a liouse at ICaiaiioi, resulting in tho death c± a 30 yCars old woinan, was un/uMed in evidence in the Magistrate's Court today' wlien Jolin Earrfcll, aged 55, farmer, oi! Woodend, faccd a eharge of murdering j Denise Beryl Herbert Rarrcll. Oladys Virginia Maaon Boran stated ! that aocused was her father. His correet name was Farrell but he liad al- j ways .been known in thii iocality as ; Stone. Jolin Edward Doran, a mainteu- j arice oilieer, of Kaiapoi, husband of the! previous witness, said iii evident that ; his honie was at 5 JDale Strect, Kaiapoi, j He lived there with his wife and three children. The aecused was his father- ! in-law and the latter's hoirie was at I Woodend. Early in July arrangemeuts j wero ntade that Denise Farrell sliould 1 eome from Woodend to iive at Dalel Street while witnesses' wife was awayj so that she could look after the cliild- J ren and himseif. Witness continued ; that Denise Farrell came to Jive at his ; liouse and brouglit a boy aliout fourj years old with here. lie was her owii ehild. She arrived there about three ; wecks before her death. Before leav-: ing her father 's place where she didj work sueh as milking, she disposed ofj a number of cows on the fann wliic'hi were partly pwned by her. Aecused ' visited the liouse in Dale Street on sev- 1 cral oceasions and once had told wit-j ness tiiat tliere was "a iot of talk go- 1 ing on about the girl being there." Be : tween (J and 9.3U a.m. on Sunday, •Julyj 28, aecused walked into the liouse j through the back door while he and the | four children were in the diniug room. j Denise Farrell was outside at the time. [ Aecused was wearing an overcoat. "He came into the room and we ! taJked in generalities for a time," wit- i ness continued. " T was leaning against ; oue end of the mantlepiece and deeeased j was at. the other end. Aecused wasj standing on the heartli rug between us. ; Bobby shifted from her position and i jtassed across the heartli rug to speak to a chi,ld on the settee by the window. i Aecused stepped back fis she passed between us and said: ' If you're not com- ! ing you're uot going to stav here' or' words to that elfect. Wlien lie said t his his liands were at his side as far as 1 can remember. The next thizig was'tlu; shot. Then lie turned 011 me and said: 'You too'. He had a pistol in his liand; and he pointed if at me; Wlien I heard the sound of the iirst sliot L didn't see wliat happencd to deeeased as slie was out of iny siglit. 1 didn 't actually see her until ai'ter the second shot, wlien aecused said: ' You too'. I moved round , the corner of the iireplace aud then 1 . heard the second shot. Then 1 flew at aecused. I rushed him a^id bumped Iiiin. and pieked up a chair. and hammered him down in a corner o.f the wall. He was crouclied down 011 the lloor. 1 hit: him witli the chair. When I lost the! chair i saw the {ilstol lying uudeniealh j his knee. 1 pieked it up and hit him I two or three tiuies on- the liead with! that. While 1 belted him he said: J 'Don't do it .Jack'. L.was pretly agi- j tated. There was Tilobd on aecused fol- ' lowing the haniineriiig ^1 gave him." j Witness continued that he lei't the room and liid the pistol. He saw the aecused leaning' over his daughler. He was on his kriees and had his arms across her. The next thing aecused said was: " Ck-t the police. " A little later, after he had given witness keys to his car, he said: "tlet me : a towel. I '111 coniing with you." The two of tlieni went to Ihe Kaiapoi police station and there witness said to Constable Warreu: "Lock me up. 1 've

shot niy girl." Witness said he had known aecused for uiore tlian seveu years and aecused !i].»peared to have a dcep ail'ection for hi.s daughler. Constalile K. R. Warren said 111 evi-! deiicii tliat when t lie two inen came into' the Police station, aecused said: "I've sliot iny daughter. I lost inv temper. r sliot her dead. Lock me up. " As aecused was bad'y in need of medical aitention, lie sent him to Df. McKce. : Dr. McKee said in evidence tliat when aecused cauie for medical aitention, he said: "I've just shot niy daughter. She's dead." Aecused was' in a dazed eondition at the time. Deleetive Bergeant N. Thompson' gave evidence of examining the pistol a\ Iiicli was a Luger. There were live live shells in the uiagaziae and one in the breeeh. The niagazine would hold eiglit shells. At the detective olliee in ; Christchurch later in the day, aecused, wauted to know wliat. he liad done. J told him lie had shot his daughter and j vvarned him that he need not say any- j thing. He replied: "I did not sliool ; Bobbv. I .liaven't seen her tliis niorn- 1 ing." j "Aecused pleads not guilty and has notliing to say," said Mr. Thomas, after : the evidence for the pfosecution was; completed. | Farrell was coiumitted to the .Supreme ; Court for trial. |