Charged With Wife’s Murder

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29936, 25 September 1962, Page 14

Charged With Wife’s Murder

(New Zealand Press Association} TAURANGA, September 24. Eleven of 13 witnesses to be called in the murder charge hearing against William Rudolph, aged 35, a railway worker, of Paengaroa, were heard in the Tauranga Magistrate’s Court today before proceedings were adjourned at 9 p.m. until tomorrow afternoon.

Depositions were taken before Mr G. J. Donne, S.M. Mr R. L. Maclaren is the Crown Prosecutor and Mr G. H. R. Skelton is representing Rudolph who is charged with murdering his wife. Taka Rudolph, at Paengaroa cm July 31. Bernard William Andrews, a medical practitioner, of Te Puke, said he went to a railway house at Paengaroa with a police constable at 9 a.m. on July 31, and in a bedroom found Mrs Rudolph's body. The woman's head and shoulders were covered in blood and there were lacerations to her face and head. Kenneth Findlay, aged 30, a drainlayer, of Te Puke, said that during the two months before her death Mrs Rudolph visited his flat without her husband. There were occasions when Mrs Rudolph used to spend the night at his flat and he would sleep with her. Intimacy took place twice.

Three weeks before her death, Rudolph spoke to him about his relationship with Mrs Rudolph. "He asked me at the flat if I was going with his wife. At that I said ‘No.’ "

Findlay said he told Mrs Rudolph he did not like her husband coming to the flat. He had tried to terminate the friendship with her. “She said that she would continue coming and we were just friendly after that,” Findlay said. On July 28, after visiting the Te Puke Hotel, he returned to his flat with three other men and found two women there. “I went tn bed about 9 p.m. and a short time later Mrs Rudolph arrived by herself. She came into the bedroom after the other people had left the flat and lay down on top of the bed. When I arose about 8 or 9 a.m. the next day Mrs Rudolph was still lying on the bed.” Husband Arrived About 11 a.m. her husband arrived while witness was in another room reading a book. Mrs Rudolph came into the room and lay down on the bed and soon after her husband came in.

“Rudolph said nothing to us, but may have offered us a beer or something like that. He made no reference to his wife then. “I had a drink with him and he asked to see me outside. I went out with him and he asked me if I was going with his wife. I said I was not going with her at the time.”

Findlay said he told Rudolph he was not happy with his wife being there and it would be better if she did not come again. At 1 a.m. on July 30 he had accompanied people home in his car, said Findlay. He sat in the back with Mrs Rudolph and another woman. At Station road, Paengaroa. he agreed to stop at the Rudolph home in case Rudolph returned and caused trouble. “I went into a bedroom and took my jeans off, put them on the floor and went to bed. Mrs Rudolph and her brothers were in the house. Some time later I woke up with the lights on and saw Mrs Rudolph lying on the bed I was in. “I was awakened when the light went on and I saw Rudolph standing in the doorway. He said: ’I have caught you.’ Rudolph left the room and returned a few seconds later with an axe. He swung the axe. I was still on the bed as was Mrs Rudolph and it fell between us at chest level.”

Findlay said he grabbed the axe and then Mrs Rudolph’s brother arrived and took it away. Rudolph had picked up his jeans, said Findlay, and had run to a neighbour's. “I followed him and heard him

say, ‘Here’s the evidence.’ The neighbour said he was not interested and for Rudolph to get out. Had A Talk Findlay said Rudolph had then given him back his jeans and he returned to the Rudolph home. He and Rudolph had a talk. When he told him there was no petrol in the car Rudolph suggested he stay the rest of the night. “I left about 6.30 the next morning. Rudolph and his wife were both up and he wanted her to stay because she wanted to come away with me.

"There was an argument and Mrs Rudolph and her husband were struggling outside. I was by my car. He was trying to drag her inside the house and she was trying to get away." To Mr Skelton, witness said: “On the Sundaj- night I slept in my bedroom and Rudolph slept on the same bed as I did. He did not want to take me outside. About 1 a.m. Mrs Rudolph came to me while Rudolph and I were asleep and asked if I would run her and some of the others home to Paengaroa.’’

After giving evidence of the arrival of Rudolph and Findlay at his door on the Monday morning and telling Rudolph to get out, witness said Rudolph returned about 6.30 on Tuesday morning and wanted to use the telephone. “He said he wanted to ring up Constable Lockie. I did not hear the conversation,’’ witness said.

Findlay said he asked if he should wake Bill up and Mrs Rudolph said to let him sleep there. “I went from my place to her place, leaving him at my place. “I had undertaken not to see his wife,” Findlay said. Tom Huta. a railway worker of Paengaroa, said his home was next to that of the Rudolphs. For six months before Mrs Rudolph’s death they had not been “getting along very well.” Used Telephone

Frederick Thompson, aged 26, of Rotoehu, brother of the dead woman, said he was at Findlay’s flat when Rudolph arrived on the Sunday. Rudolph and his wife had a tussle and he (Thompson) had broken it up and had a talk to Rudolph Thompson told Mr Skelton his sister would not sleep with her husband. He had gone to their home to try and “patch things up between them.”

Mark Graham Somerville, a pathologist, of Tauranga, who carried out a post-mor-tem examination, said the dead woman’s head injuries were generally severe and could have been inflicted with a hammer such as he had earlier identified He considered 11 blows were struck with the hammer.

The Court was adjourned at 9 p.m. until 2 p.m. tomorrow.