Angela Blackmoore murder: Partner speaks after pair found guilty

The pair accused of murdering Angela Blackmoore in 1995 have been found guilty at the High Court in Christchurch.

After an almost five-week trial, it took the 12-person jury 14 hours of deliberations to return the guilty verdicts for David Hawken and Rebecca Wright-Meldrum on Friday.

Justice Rachel Dunningham thanked the jury for their service, noting it had been a difficult and long trial.

Speaking to media outside court, Blackmoore's partner at the time of her death, Laurie Anderson, said they "got what we wanted" and also thanked the jury for their "excellent" work.

"The jury had a hard job sorting out 28 years of information and piecing it together, they took due diligence, took their time, assessed and evaluated. They have done an excellent job on my side and assessing the information put to them," he said.

He continued, "I very much thank the jury for their participation... A lot of people have worked toward this end day and for that I am genuinely grateful because this conviction was the main goal."

Detective Sergeant Todd Hamilton issued a statement acknowledging the guilty verdict today and said police have "tirelessly" sought to bring justice for Angela and her family since her death.

"At this time I would like to acknowledge Angela's parents, Pauline and Ray, who unfortunately are no longer with us to see this result that has been achieved for Angela," he said.

Hamilton acknowledged Angela's other family members, Jill and Leanne, and Anderson, as well as all the police staff who had been involved in the investigation.

"The outcome today doesn't bring her back, but we hope it gives her family some closure," he said.

Blackmoore was a young pregnant mother when she was killed at her Wainoni home on August 17, 1995.

The 21-year-old had been watching the Australian drama Blue Heelers in the lounge alone while her two-year-old son slept in another room.

Anderson was out working a second job at the library. He told the High Court in Christchurch that Blackmoore was upset that he wasn’t there as she would get anxious being left by herself.

When Anderson got home he found Blackmoore in the bloodied kitchen and called the ambulance for help, before realising she was dead and rigor mortis had set in.

Autopsy results show Blackmoore had been struck by a bat and stabbed with a knife, resulting in 39 wounds to her head, neck, abdomen and limbs.

It wasn’t until 2019, after police put forward a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, that Jeremy Powell was questioned and admitted to carrying out the brutal attack.

He claimed that Hawken ordered the hit for financial gain and Wright-Meldrum had helped him, saying she had organised the time and the day and he had wanted to impress her.

Powell was the key witness for the Crown in the trial where he alleged Hawken offered him $10,000 to kill Blackmoore, while Wright-Meldrum was his girlfriend at the time and used her friendship to gain entry to the house.

Crown prosecutor Pip Currie said Hawken was heavily in debt while on a sickness benefit and was being pursued for bankruptcy.

“There is overwhelming evidence in terms of proving the respective guilt of each of these defendants.”

Hawken had been living in a house on Cashel Street, which was one of two properties owned by Blackmoore and her ex-husband William Blackmoore.

The High Court heard that Hawken had been helping the couple separate their assets following their breakup.

“Mr Hawken knew that, with Ms Blackmoore dead, his friend William Blackmoore would be the sole owner of the matrimonial property and, in turn, David Hawken would be able to use the properties as listed assets when applying for finance,” said Crown prosecutor Mitchell McClenaghan.

Powell said he was never paid by Hawken and he broke up with Wright-Meldrum soon after the killing.

Hawken’s defence counsel Anne Stevens KC said her client had nothing to do with the murder, he had no motive or anything to gain, and that Powell was a liar.

“Why would you decide Powell is a liar? Well first of all he is, he lied for 24 years even when someone came along and asked him 24 years later, he lied. The Crown kept trying to say he confessed in 2019. He did not confess he was pushed into it.”

Powell denied suggestions that, by naming Hawken and Wright-Meldrum, he was trying to reduce his blame, paint himself as a victim, and lessen the shame on his family.

“These are strong incentives, they are human incentives that are really powerful. Less shame more blame,” said Stevens.

Wright-Meldrum’s defence counsel Philip Shamy said the most important evidence in the trial was what is often known as the “silent evidence”.

"The Crown paid little attention to it, probably for good reason, as it doesn't support their case against Miss Wright-Meldrum," he said.

"She's a stripper, she's not a forensic scientist, she's just taken part in the butchering of her friend and she's savvy enough to wipe fingerprints but only her own."

"There's only one set of footprints. If you are that close to a source of blood, that you're cleaning it up, [then] how, if she was there, does Miss Wright Meldrum avoid stepping in it," Shamy said to the jury during his closing arguments.

The pair have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on April 19.