Murder Charge Follows Fatal Shooting
Press Association )
(Per
HAMILTON, Dec.. 8. Wearing a pair of dark glasses and with the left side of his face still bandaged, Cecil Robert Gurr Otto, aged 38, dairy worker, of Te Awamutu, appeared in the Hamilton-* /Magistrate's Court today charged with the murder of Ruth McGregor Stone. Accused was represented by Mr. A. R. Hill, of Te Awamutu, and Mr. J. F. Strang, the Crown prosecutor at Hamilton, conducted the prosecution. There are 22 witnesses to be called. Otto, Who was badly wounded in the face as a result of a shooting tragedy in the main street of Hamilton East at about 9 a.m. 011 the morning of Saturday, October 23, when Mrs. Stone was shot and killed instantly, had been remanded on a murder charge at a speeial sitting of the court in the Waikato Hospital, on November 9. Rex Marshall Fisher, reporter, the first witness, produced photographs he took on the scene. Tossell Hazel Simpson, sister of the victim, said that her sister was married in Auckland to Stone on about October 18, 1938 For a number of years she had been living apart from her husband. She knew there was a friendly association between her sister and accused. Her sister had a house property and car and jewellery when this association began.
She knew Mrs. Stone, who booked in at her hotel on October 9, 1948, sai'd Ellen Mary Williamson, boarding house proprietor, of Hamilton. Mrs. Stone slept at the boarding house on the night of Friday. Otto had called at the hotel on the- Friday morning at about 10 o'clock and asked for a iroom that night. Accused gave the name of Jarvis. He had no lugigage. Witness next »aw accused at about 8.30 that night, when he came to ask which was Miss JSimpson's room. She told h'm. He had asked if witness was sure that that was the room, for he wanted j to deliver a letter to her. Mrs. Stone was known to her as Miss Simpson. Witness heard three shots on Saturday while she was lying in bed. The case is proceeding. ,
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHRONL19481208.2.24.3
Bibliographic details
Chronicle (Levin), 8 December 1948, Page 5
Word Count
356Murder Charge Follows Fatal Shooting Chronicle (Levin), 8 December 1948, Page 5
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