THE CHRISTCHURCH MURDER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9654, 19 November 1909, Page 5

THE CHRISTCHURCH MURDER.

ROBERTS SENTENCED TO DEATH. By Telegraph—P? ess As ociation. CHRISTCHURCH, November 18. The trial of Arthur Jrhn Wilson Roberts for the murder of Alice Edith Newman was continued in the Supreme Court to-day before Mr Justice Denniston.

The taking of evidence had been finished the previous night, and it only remained for the jury to heaE counsel's addresses and his Honor's', summing up,

The only addition to the case was the putting in of some letters fromr Roberts which had been found ia a bag belonging to Miss Newman. Lengthy addresses were given by counsel, and his Honor commenced to sum up at 11.10 a.m. He said that it was unnecessary for him to im» press on the jury the serious nature of the duty which they were called upon to discharge. They need have no fear of the horror and remorse referred to by counsel for the defence, if they did their duty honestly and conscientiously and found a verdict on the evidence before them. The case was in some respect a simple one. • l'he Crown had to establish beyond any reasonable doubt that accused and no other person committed the act. Counsel for the defence had suggested that Read, Burns and Warwick were biassed against the prisoner, but there was nothing to support this, and there was no suggestion that they were not honest witnesses. The shots might have been firedjby one of three persons who had a conversation at the top of the stairs with the deceased—Warwick or Roberts or some other person wfro was concealed on the premises. " There was no motive in the cases of Burns and Warwick, and the jury could banish any consideration of that from their minds. As 10 a person being concealed in the premises there was no suggestion, that the woman had enemies. There was evidence that Koberts was inj love with the girl, and if the suggested motive was jealousy or disappointed affection there was no clear evidence of its existence. It had been shojvn that Roberts got possession of the revolver on the Sunday, and it was in his possession when he was arrested on Tuesday morning. Counsel for the defence had suggested that if the prisoner committed the crime he would have at once got away as fast as possible, but the jury were entitled to consider that such a course would immediately have brought down (suspicion on himself. The question} the jury would have to consider were—(l) Did prisoner kil Alice Editb Newman? (2) Is it proved to you that he was at the time labouring under disease of the mini to such an extent as to render him incapable of understanding the nature of and quality of the act, and knuwing that such act was wrong? Under the law every person charged with crime was considered to be sane at the time of the commission of the act until the contrary was proved. The jury retired to consider their verdict at 12.28, and at 1.42 p.m. the jury filed into the Court, their serious faces giving a clue to theit verdict.

Prisoner and his guards took ap their positions in the dock, and his Honor then resumed his seat on the Bench amid dead silence.

The Registrar asked if the jury had agreed, and received a reply that an agreement had been come to.

The foreman handed in written replies to the issues which had been stated by his Honor.* The answer to the first issue was "Yes," and to secwd "No."

His Hon )r: " You therefore find a verdict of' Guilty?"'

The Foreman : "That is so. There is a rider attached to the verdict that the jury desired to make a very strong recommendation to mercy. The evidence shows that the prisoner is not in possession of normal mental or phvsical faculties, and there is a very grave doubt as to whether he was capable of understanding the nature and quality of the act or that ' it was wrong," His Honor: "You went on my direction that insanity must he proved?" The Foreman: "Yes." In reply.to the Registrar the prisoner said that he was 21 yfears of age. "Have you anything to say why sentence shoul 1 not he passed oi» yon according to law?" he was asked, hot no reply was made. Addressing the prisoner, his Honor saii«: "Arthur John Wilson Roberts, vou have been convicted of the crime of murder. The recommendation to m°rcy which the jury have handed in will be forwarded to the proper quare- My duty is simply to pronounce on you the only sentence which tha law allows you." His Honor then assumed the blacfc cap and said: "The sentence of tfu Court is that you, Atthur John Wilson Robert 3, be taken to a place of execution and hanged by the neck till you are dead." Beyond a twitching of his mouth, and an unnatural brightness .of his eyes, tie condemned man gave no sign of emotion. He was escorte.f from tha dock an 1 Court room b/ the gaol officials.