Three Die In Shooting In Lower Hutt Home

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28531, 10 March 1958, Page 8

Three Die In Shooting In Lower Hutt Home

(New Zeeland Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 9. A senior police officer, his son and his aged father-in-law died of gunshot wounds in their Lower Hutt home today. The officer was Detective Inspector James Jeremiah Murray, aged 53, relieving officer in charge of the Wellington Criminal Investigation Branch. The other victims were Richard James Murray, aged 18, and Robert Frederick Black, aged 80. Detective Inspector Murray’s wife, Mrs Aldyth Nancy Murray, was taken to hospital with a bullet wound in the face. Her condition tonight was reported as satisfactory.

The bodies were found by tennis players from nearby courts in Myrtle street when Mrs Murray, bleeding from the mouth, came to a high iron fence at the back of the Murrays’ house and called for help. Mr Murray’s body was found in a passageway with a bullet wound in the head. A .32 automatic pistol was beside the body. Richard Murray’s body was across the bed in his parents’ room with a bullet wound in the head. Mr Black was lying at the door of his bedroom with a bullet wound in his head.

Mr Murray had told a golfing friend he was going to Plirftmerton to see a house and expected to be back too late for his usual late afternoon round of golf. Mr Murray had recently been treated for a diabetic condition.

Mr Murray joined the Police Force at Wellington in 1926. After a short period in the uniform division he was transferred to the plain clothes branch as a detective. He was transferred to Wanganui in the early 19305, where he remained until 1»45, when he was posted to Nelson as a detective sergeant. In 1949, as a senior detective, he was transferred to Lower Hutt. After his promotion to inspector he was appointed officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Wellington. Last December, it was announced that he would take charge of criminal investigation work at Hamilton, but this was revoked due to ill-health. He was then re-posted to Lower Hutt. Mr Murray is survived by three sisters and a brother, who is a member of the Western Australian Police Force. Another brother died in Auckland last night. Mr Murray played a prominent part in a number of major police investigations, the last being the Bolton poisoning case at Wanganui where he had charge of the early inquires. His son, Richard Murray, was educated at St. Bernard’s College, Lower Hutt, and St. Patrick’s College, Silverstream. He had worked with a signwriting firm for the last 10 months.

The home, at 4 Myrtle street, is alongside the tennis courts of the Hutt Bowling, Tennis and Croquet Club.

At the time of the shooting, the tennis section was entertaining the Martinborough Club and about 35 players were on the courts.

The shots were fired about 11.55 a.m. Some of the players heard them but did not recognise them as shots. Mr Cedric Cudby, a Petone garage proprietor, was in the pavilion but ran out on to Myrtle street when Mrs Murray called for help. He found Mrs Murray at the front door, sobbing and holding her bleeding face in her hands.

Mr Cudby then drove to the police station. Another player, Mr I. Willis, called a doctor who tried to calm Mrs Murray before an ambulance arrived and took her to Hutt Hospital. The Murray family had been at church a few hours earlier.

Mr Black, an Australian, was formerly a schoolmaster. He had been living with the Murrays for four years but had been away on occasions when he was in homes for the aged. Mrs Murray, a member of the Catholic Women’s League at Lower Hutt, was well known in welfare work in her church.