MURDER TRIAL BEGINS

Chronicle (Levin), 11 February 1947, Page 6

MURDER TRIAL BEGINS

— Press Association

Story Of Jeaiousy Told In Court

By Telegraph

AUCKLAND, Feb. 10. Arrested within two days of the shooting of a youiig niarried man, 8yd ney dojiu Peaciiev, aged 21, at liis liome i n Whangarei cn .JuJy 14 of iast year, a i'ariii hand, Reginald J1 'sxandei Donafdsoii, appeareil for trial today in the Hupreme Court before Mr. Justice Cullan and a jurv on it cdiarge of niurder. Accused is an ex-servicenian wh ; had not becn overseas and the deJay of seven hionths between his arrest and trial was oceasioned by the tinie re quired bv Ihe defenee in assembling his seivice record. The Crown's ease is bemg eondueted by JNlr. V. 1L Myredith with whom* is Mr. G. Speight, and accused is dofended liv -Mr. ii. K. Triniuiej with whom is avMieiated M(s;"*s E. MeCarthy and D. L. Ross. It is beiieved the' trial will last l'our days. Outiiniiig' tlie ease, Mr. Mereditli said that Mrs. 1 ineliey wlien a girl of 18 iiad at tim.es gone to the jiictures with uteused and had written to hiui wliile lie was in eamp. Later when she beeame engaged to Peaciiev she stoppod vvruiug. Cir.iii'sel deseribed the events ou th«- nigiit of the shooting, saving ti.nl Mrs. l'eaeliey was sitting on her husbalid V kuee when they heard a [ knuck at tlie window. Peaehey went ! to the window and was then seen tu sGiggei buek and /all. The evidenet would show that lie was sliot through tlie heart. ! Continuing liis address, Mr. MerediUi said ihe possibilty of a former jeaious adn iier of Mrs. Peaehey having conilnitted tlie erinie was liivestigated and iiiijuiries mad;* by the poliee pronipted Deteetive-Sergeaut Finaly and Detec Ihe Mohinui to visit aeeused. Under que-tiuniiig aeeused iiad broken down j tuni admi.ied tliat he had just had to jdo it. A Steiir pistol had been brought j liome 1 Tuni Austria hy , his brother jv.hu had been a prisoner of war for j f.nir \cars. When it was f'ound, five j oi' eight eartridges it held reinained. j Aeettscd had Jiren two to test the guu i'.jid tlie tiiird killeii Peaehey. "It can j be seen 1'roiu an outline ot' tlie evideneo Itluit tliero was deliberate intention on neettsed 's ]>iut to kill Peaehey," said Mr. Mereditli. I'r. Howard F. Duckley said Ihe i iuiiiel h:id eiilered the bodv near the jright eoliui lione, had jiiereed the heart •ii.d e. ' ged under the let't arnipit. iiealli ii. i been aliuost inslantaneous. liona ihedti Peaehey, the 20-year-old \vidow, said she v.as niarried to jl'ia'd.ey on April 27 and tliev sliared a jlioee with another vouiij^ niarried j eoupie. Aliout ().•")") on the evening ot • luly I I siie was sitting ou lier hus- ; baati V kaee by tlie 11 re in their sitting 1 room wiieu there was a bang on tho 1 window. "My lnisband got up to see i u'hat it was aml told ine to sland back. jil" iient over tiie coueh near the wini dow and pu'letl tlie etirtain back. Then Ihe said: 'They've got me, ' put his ' iiyud to his throat and i'ell over by tlie Litling ruoai door. 1 screained for tlie I 1 1 :stns with wlioni we sha,,ed tlie : oiise. 'l hey (iidii't come, so 1 nioved | aiy i.usbaial's l,ml\ away- from the jduorand went to get thein." Witness saitl she eould not recalJ having heard any sliot. Asked by Mr. Mereditli wliat her relat io'nsliip w ith aeeused was, Mrs. l' aehey replied: "Not very good." A 1 1 hongi: they went to tlie pictures and idanees they ipuirrellcd a lot. | ( ross-exumiued by lir. Trimmer, wit- | ness said she and accused broke off their relat ionsl.ip wliile lie was in the Aii l-'oree. Accused was very upset, but tiiey later resumed their frieudsiiip. "1 was sorry we ntade it up," said wit ness. Mrs. Peaehey admitted liiat she had not been really l'ond of aeeused. She had written letters in a similar strain to other boys. Aeeused wanled her to marry him, but she realised they wero not suited to each other and in October 194-1 when he came out of tlie Air Force she told him she did not want to see him again. George Keitli J'attison, cabiuetmaker, who with his wife sliared the Peaehey 's liouse, said he heard a crasli of glass and a screani from the Peacliey 's sitting looin. "It was none of our business, so we took no notiee of it until Mrs. Peaehey eame running into our room to say that Syd had been sliot. Witness said: "I went into their sitting room and saw Peaehey lying by ihe door by a pool of blood." Witness leieplmned for a doclor. L'vidence of ihe interview with accused at his honie several iniles out ot Whangarei was given by DeteetiveSergeant Finaly, of Whangarei. "I asked aeeused wdiere he was on The night oi' the shooting and lie said he was at liome in beil, " said willicss. "lie said he had gone to bed at (5.8U. I asked him wliether he was not in Whangarei and he niade 110 reply. 1 then asked 'what lie had done with tlie automatie pistol. He did not ansuer. When 1 said to him: 'Did you do it,' he replied: "I was mad. I was mad. 1 read tiiose letters and when I read tlie oue in wliicli she said she would make it all up to me for the wav she had Irealed me 1 just felt mad. I jflst had lo do it. ' ' ' Aeeused tlien collapsed 011 liis bed, ' ; witness. conlinued. "He sobbed that if his brother had been there he would not have gone out and it would not liavo lianpened. but his brother was away and tlie car was in the drive so he put ou his Air Force unii'orm, loaded ihe pistol and drove to tlie Peaehey 's liouse. On the way he stopped at h ipuirry and lired two sliots to tcst the pistol as it sometimes jammed. " "When 1 got to the liouse I went to ihe window aiul saw tliem sitting ihcre, ' ' aeeused told him, said witness. "When I saw that fellow with his arms round Uona's neek 1 just felt mad. I hil the window and he cairn* over. I lired -and lie wheeled and i'ell. I didn't wait to see if I had killed him but rau away and got into the car and drove liome." Af'ter a four-day search DetectivekSergeant Finaly said thc pistol was recovered from a creek at accused 's home. Cross-examined by Mr. Trimmer, witness said accused had never been in trouble befoie and liis family stood in high ' regard in Whangarei.