Help pours in for police on taxi case

Press, 14 August 1976, Page 1

Help pours in for police on taxi case

Detectives have received a flood of public support in their hunt for the killer of a Christchurch taxidriver.

But the murder of Walter John Chisnail was still unsolved late last evening, as the 30 detectives on the case prepared to work through the week-end. Mr Chisnail, aged 41, married, of 216 Condell Avenue. Papanui, was shot twice through the head and was robbed of an unknown amount. A security guard found him dead in his taxi in Wickham Street, Bromlev, about 4 a.m. on Thursday. Public response to police requests for information had been very good, the officer in charge of the investigation (Detective Inspector N. J. Stokes) said last evening. “It is obvious from the calls coming in that people were more shocked than usual by this particular crime,” Mr Stokes said. “We made no big breakthroughs yesterday, but we are gradually building up an over-all picture,” he said.

Police inquiries yesterdav centred on the sighting of two persons in Ruru Road, Bromley, about 12.30 a.m. on Thursday. They were seen near the intersection of Ruru Road and Cuthberts Road — less than a mile from where Mr Chisnall’s taxi was found. Mr Chisnall was last heard from at 11.37 p.m. on Wednesday, when he was directed by the Blue Star company to pick up a fare from a telephone box at the comer of Bowhill Road

and Tonks Street, New Brighton. About five minutes later a Maori man and a European woman were seen together at another telephone box nearby. They had flagged down a white taxi and had spoken to the driver, the police said. Mr Chisnall’s car was a white 1976 model Tovota Corona. Mr Stokes said last •veiling that the police were still seeking information about persons seen in the Ruru Road area, or in Bromley or Linwood. They were also anxious to hear from any taxidrivers who picked up or dropped fares in Bromley between 11 pm. on Wednesday and 3 am. on Thursday. About 20 policemen yesterday continued searching several acres of lupins and vacant land in Wickham Street, where the taxi was found. A number of coin-holders from the taxi were found on Thursday, hut yesterday’s search revealed no trace of the murder weapon — a .22 pistol or rifle. Mr Stokes said that a few clues had been found on the road beside the taxi, but he declined to say what they were. „, F " rens ‘ c scientists from Wellington yesterday carried out tests on Mr Chisnall’s car, and police ballistics experts were called in to examine the two spent .22 shells found inside the taxi. The police have cancelled days off and have rerostered men to help the inquiry. All airports and sea ports are being watched, and police stations throughout the country are being briefed on the investigation