Woman To Stand Trial On Charge Of Murder

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28976, 18 August 1959, Page 6

Woman To Stand Trial On Charge Of Murder

(Aew Zealand Press Association)

ROTORUA, August 17.

Charged with murdering her husband, Joseph Pupurau Mohi, aged 28, a workman, at the Matarae Pa, Reporoa, on July 14, Julie Mary Mohi, aged 25, appeared today before Mr G. J. Donne, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Rotorua, and was committed for trial at the Supreme Court at Hamilton in October.

Mr R. A. Potter, with him Mr G. T. O’Sullivan, appeared for Mohi. The Crown was represented bv Mr K. L. Sandford.

A post-mortem examination disclosed a .22 bullet lodged in Joseph Mohi's head, said Whitworth Athol Russell, pathologist at the Hamilton Hospital. The bullet entered near the right eyebrow and traversed the substance of the brain on the right side from the front temple lobe. One of the coronary arteries of the heart was diseased, but this was not a factor in the death, the witness said, who added that the alcohol content in the blood was nil. The shot appeared to have been fired from a close range. Joseph Mohi and companions had visited a Mr Simms's place at Reporoa on the afternoon of July 12, said Phyllis Ivy Donnell, housekeeper for Mr Simms. After arranging for one of the companions, Ron Foote, to stay the nignt, she went to bed, leaving Joseph Mohi and Foote. Later she heard children crying, and found Mrs Mohi in the sitting-room hitting her husband around the head with an axe handle. One of the Mohi children was crying out, "Don’t hit daddy,” and the accused said. "You won't have daddy very long—when you come home I will kill you.”

To the witness, Mrs Mohi said: “You broke our home up, this is what you'll have to put up with.” Donnell denied breaking up any home.

Mrs Mohi was slapping her husband on the face. She said she had been outside looking in the house, and claimed she saw her husband kissing Donnell, who denied this, as did Mr Mohi. Mother’s Evidence

Alice Evelyn Mohi, mother of the dead man, said that on July 13 Mrs Mohi telephoned her. She was crying and asked Mrs Mohi, s’n., and her husband to visit her. She claimed Joe Mohi had been with a woman who was old enough to be his mother and had a family of seven. Mrs Mohi, sen, said that her daughter-in-law added: “When he comes home I am going to kill him.”

Mrs Mohi, sen. later went to a farm house and found Joe Mohi.

When asked by his mother why he was not at his own home. Joseph Mohi went out of the house and the accused began yelling at him. He denied an allegation by the accused that he had been intimate with another woman, and also that he had been kissing her.

The. three returned to the Mohi whare, where Joseph Mohi admitted, according to Mrs Mohi. sen, that he had been pissing another woman, and to his wife he allegedly said: "You have already told me to get out of the house. Julie.”

Mohi claimed he was on hfs way to his parents' home when he called into Mr Simms’s place, added his mother. Ronald Foote, who was with Joseph Mohi at Mr Simms's place on July 12. said he heard a noise after he went to bed and then saw the accused and her husband roll on the floor. Mrs Mohi appeared to be attempting to hit her husband with an axe handle

Olive Aweawe Werahiko said that on the day before the alleged shooting Mrs Mohi told the witness she saw her husband and another woman together the previous night. She also said she hit her husband with a stick and did not want him to come back, and if he did she would kill him.

After sewing with Mrs Mohi on the afternoon of July 14, Werahiko went to a neighbour, Mrs Herewini. Mrs Mohi ran in and asked for 42 (police) on the telephone. The line was busy and she went outside and began to cry. When the call came through Mrs Mohi answered and said she had shot her husband.

A neighbour of the Mohi family, Nora Hurihanganui, said that Mrs Mohi told her on the afternoon of July 14 to take the children away, and later said in Maori: ‘‘l have shot Joe.” Police Witnesses

It was not true to say that the accused expressed a wish not to discuss the alleged shooting, said Senior Detective-Sergeant W. H A. Sharp, during cross-examina-tion by Mr Potter. Fellow officers were present during the initial conversation with the accused, the witness said, but he could not say if relatives were present, although they were invited to stay. Detective-Sergeant D. J Dwan had taken notes of the conversation, which lasted about five minutes.

Mr Potter: Had you decided before questioning to arrest the accused? The witness: It seemed to me that she would probably be arrested.

Was she given the customary warning?—Yes. My instructions are she said she had no wish to discuss the affair—She did not say that. Was the information elicited by question and answers?—Yes. Did some of the bystanders answer questions?—l have no recollection of that. The witness said he was present on two brief occasions when the accused was being interviewed by Detective-Sergeant Dwan in the Rotorua police station.

“The first time I went into the office, the accused declined to have a cup of tea. On the second occasion I went in as a result of information received from a constable, who had notified the deceased's parents. I said to the accused, ‘Did you tell your mother-in-daw by telephone you were going to kill Joe?’ and she replied, ‘Yes, but we have not come to that yet’.” Detective L. Gray was present with Detective-Sergeant Dwan. said the witness. Counsel’s Objections

An objection by Mr Potter to the production and inclusion of notes taken by Detective-Sergeant Dwan during the first interview of the accused by Senior Detec-tive-Sergeant Sharp was noted by the Magistrate, who ordered that evidence of the interview be not published. Continuing his evidence. Sergeant Dwan said the accused was warned in the customary manner when brought to the Rotorua police station. She made a statement which was typed out by him, and while it was being read back to her as requested, she asked that several alterations be made.

A further objection by Mr Potter’ to the production of the accused’s statement was noted, and the Magistrate again forbade publication. To Mr Potter the witness said the accused was actually charged with murder after she made the statement, although the decision to charge her had been arrived at before the statement was made She was upset when interviewed at Reporoa, but not to the extent the witness expected.

The witness denied he had suggested to the accused it would be good for her to “get it off her chest.” The major portion of the statement was volunteered by her.