Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,164
- Reaction score
- 5
Man allegedly admitted killing 'the deaf girl' - New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz
The man charged with sexually violating and murdering deaf Christchurch woman Emma Agnew allegedly admitted his crimes to his then girlfriend, a depositions hearing has been told.
Liam James Reid, 35, unemployed, sat impassively in the dock in the Christchurch District Court as the charge of murdering Agnew, 20, was read out yesterday.
Agnew's naked body, covered with pine needles, was found in the Burwood Plantation near Spencer Park, north of Christchurch, by a track walker on November 27, 12 days after she disappeared.
A post-mortem revealed a sock had been stuffed into her airway, she had bruises around her neck, and "deep genital bruising", the court was told.
Agnew's family, who are also deaf, fixed Reid with looks as they confronted the man accused of murdering their daughter and sister.
Agnew's brother, Bennie, could hardly move his eyes from Reid to watch the sign-language translator provided for the family.
Reid, a short, stocky man with a receding hairline shaved close to the skull, appeared unperturbed.
The pushed-up sleeves of his purple sweater exposed a tangle of dark-green tattoos on his arms and hands.
Prosecutor Pip Currie said the prosecution case would include Reid's admission to his former girlfriend that he had killed "Emma, the deaf girl".
The depositions hearing yesterday was for only the murder charge, although police have laid a sexual-violation charge as well. That charge has not yet gone through the pre-depositions process.
Currie said the prosecution's murder case would present records from cellphone tower signals that showed Agnew's and Reid's cellphones came into proximity in central Christchurch and then travelled north to the beach suburb of Spencerville together.
The cellphones were then unused for about an hour and then came back to the city.
The Crown case was that Agnew had already been killed by then and her cellphone was brought back to the city by someone else.
Agnew had advertised her red Mazda Familia for sale at the time she disappeared, advertising her cellphone number on the car and asking for replies by text message.
Before her disappearance, she had an exchange of texts with brother Toby about a person who was offering to buy the car.
Reid was then living at the Avon City Backpackers in Worcester Street in central Christchurch, Currie said.
Agnew's family was a close one, but she was independent, living with a flatmate in a central Christchurch flat and working for the Deaf Association of New Zealand as an administrator.
Like many deaf people, she used cellphones as a primary means of communication and had two.
At 9.45pm on November 15, her car was found at Bromley Park in Christchurch, where an attempt had been made to set it on fire. Fingerprints found on it were identified as coming from Reid, Currie said.
Constable Craig Johnson, of the Christchurch police, told the court Reid's fingerprints had been found on the rear exterior of the car, but no other prints had been found in or on the car or at the scene at Bromley Park.
Currie said that on November 16 Reid travelled to Nelson, where he discarded some clothing and got replacements.
He and his girlfriend later travelled to Spencer Park, near where Agnew's body lay, and rented a cabin.
By November 25 he was staying at Wigram Lodge in Christchurch, where he told his then girlfriend, whose name is suppressed, that he was responsible.
He allegedly told her he had killed a girl, and agreed he was referring to "Emma, the deaf girl".
On November 26, a man walking a dog in the Burwood Plantation found Agnew's naked body concealed by foliage.
Her clothes have not been found. Currie said pathologist Dr Martin Sage found her upper airway was blocked with a sock and she had bruises to her neck and genital area.
On November 27, police arrested Reid at Wigram Lodge.
He declined to make a statement, Currie said.
Agnew's flatmate, Zena Harker, told the hearing that on November 15 she found that, unusually, she was unable to contact Agnew.
She went to the Deaf Club, where Agnew was supposed to be working that night, but she was not there. She sent a final text message, "What's up, what's up", but there was no reply.
Agnew's mother, Louise Agnew, said in evidence that she had sent text messages and became concerned at receiving no replies because they were usually answered promptly.
Toby Agnew testified he had had an exchange of text messages with his sister which had abruptly stopped about 11am.
The same was experienced by Agnew's aunty, Evelyn Pateman. Family members became increasingly worried, and at 8pm they reported her missing to police.
At the police station, they learnt her car had been found burnt out.
Four translators are being used in the hearing.
The man charged with sexually violating and murdering deaf Christchurch woman Emma Agnew allegedly admitted his crimes to his then girlfriend, a depositions hearing has been told.
Liam James Reid, 35, unemployed, sat impassively in the dock in the Christchurch District Court as the charge of murdering Agnew, 20, was read out yesterday.
Agnew's naked body, covered with pine needles, was found in the Burwood Plantation near Spencer Park, north of Christchurch, by a track walker on November 27, 12 days after she disappeared.
A post-mortem revealed a sock had been stuffed into her airway, she had bruises around her neck, and "deep genital bruising", the court was told.
Agnew's family, who are also deaf, fixed Reid with looks as they confronted the man accused of murdering their daughter and sister.
Agnew's brother, Bennie, could hardly move his eyes from Reid to watch the sign-language translator provided for the family.
Reid, a short, stocky man with a receding hairline shaved close to the skull, appeared unperturbed.
The pushed-up sleeves of his purple sweater exposed a tangle of dark-green tattoos on his arms and hands.
Prosecutor Pip Currie said the prosecution case would include Reid's admission to his former girlfriend that he had killed "Emma, the deaf girl".
The depositions hearing yesterday was for only the murder charge, although police have laid a sexual-violation charge as well. That charge has not yet gone through the pre-depositions process.
Currie said the prosecution's murder case would present records from cellphone tower signals that showed Agnew's and Reid's cellphones came into proximity in central Christchurch and then travelled north to the beach suburb of Spencerville together.
The cellphones were then unused for about an hour and then came back to the city.
The Crown case was that Agnew had already been killed by then and her cellphone was brought back to the city by someone else.
Agnew had advertised her red Mazda Familia for sale at the time she disappeared, advertising her cellphone number on the car and asking for replies by text message.
Before her disappearance, she had an exchange of texts with brother Toby about a person who was offering to buy the car.
Reid was then living at the Avon City Backpackers in Worcester Street in central Christchurch, Currie said.
Agnew's family was a close one, but she was independent, living with a flatmate in a central Christchurch flat and working for the Deaf Association of New Zealand as an administrator.
Like many deaf people, she used cellphones as a primary means of communication and had two.
At 9.45pm on November 15, her car was found at Bromley Park in Christchurch, where an attempt had been made to set it on fire. Fingerprints found on it were identified as coming from Reid, Currie said.
Constable Craig Johnson, of the Christchurch police, told the court Reid's fingerprints had been found on the rear exterior of the car, but no other prints had been found in or on the car or at the scene at Bromley Park.
Currie said that on November 16 Reid travelled to Nelson, where he discarded some clothing and got replacements.
He and his girlfriend later travelled to Spencer Park, near where Agnew's body lay, and rented a cabin.
By November 25 he was staying at Wigram Lodge in Christchurch, where he told his then girlfriend, whose name is suppressed, that he was responsible.
He allegedly told her he had killed a girl, and agreed he was referring to "Emma, the deaf girl".
On November 26, a man walking a dog in the Burwood Plantation found Agnew's naked body concealed by foliage.
Her clothes have not been found. Currie said pathologist Dr Martin Sage found her upper airway was blocked with a sock and she had bruises to her neck and genital area.
On November 27, police arrested Reid at Wigram Lodge.
He declined to make a statement, Currie said.
Agnew's flatmate, Zena Harker, told the hearing that on November 15 she found that, unusually, she was unable to contact Agnew.
She went to the Deaf Club, where Agnew was supposed to be working that night, but she was not there. She sent a final text message, "What's up, what's up", but there was no reply.
Agnew's mother, Louise Agnew, said in evidence that she had sent text messages and became concerned at receiving no replies because they were usually answered promptly.
Toby Agnew testified he had had an exchange of text messages with his sister which had abruptly stopped about 11am.
The same was experienced by Agnew's aunty, Evelyn Pateman. Family members became increasingly worried, and at 8pm they reported her missing to police.
At the police station, they learnt her car had been found burnt out.
Four translators are being used in the hearing.
