WOMAN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 5 December 1940, Page 2

WOMAN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

1 CHARGE OF MURDER SEQUEL TO HUSBAND’S DEATH j DEFENCE RESERVED 1 [United Press Association] WELLINGTON, This Day. 1 Charged with murdering her hus- ! ; band, Francis Norman Laurentine, in | Wellington on 2nd November, 1940, Jean Laurentine. aged 31, appeared before i Mr Stout. S.M., in the Magistrates’ /Court, Wellington, yesterday. Three ■ hours were occupied in hearing the evi- : j dence, there being little cross-exami- * i nation. Mrs Laurentine then reserved 1 1 her defence and was committed for > trial at the next session of the Supreme j Court in Wellington. Mr W. R. Birks, i acting Crown Prosecutor, conducted the • ' Crown case. Mrs Laurentine was re- j presented by Dr. O. C. Mazengarb, with ; [ him Mr N. T. Gillespie. There were fewer than 20 spectators ‘ at the hearing in one of the upstairs ; courtrooms. Mrs Laurentine was ' dressed in black and war allowed to : remain seated. She was accompanied 1 by two police matrons who sat on * j either side of her throughout. She cried , at intervals. Among other exhibits was an ordinary household carving knife. Mrs Laurentine was arrested at ' 10.20 p.m. on Saturday, 2nd November, her husband having died at the Wellington Public Hospital an hour and a half previously as the result of haemorrhage caused by stab wounds. He had been removed there from a flat at 263 Willis Street, Wellington, which he oc_ cupicd with his wife. Continuing the evidence for the pro--1 secution Dr. D. J. A. Doyle said that Laurentine was extremely shocked and his breathing irregular and gasping when he was admitted to hospital. He had three wounds. Artificial respiration, a blood transfusion, a glucose transfu- | sion and an injection of strychnine and adrenalin were given but Laurentine failed to improve and was pronounced dead at 8.50 p.m. The carving knife produced could have made the 1 wounds and the holes in the clothing exhibited corresponded to the position of the wounds. At this stage there was a short adjournment for the benefit of accused, who was upset. James Dillon, porter, Wellington j ’ Hospital, said that when Laurentine was being taken to the casualty station at the hospital his wife said, “You may be the biggest rotter on earth, but you know I wouldn’t do it.” After Lauren- ( tine had been taken into the casualty | station his wife knelt in a praying position and said, “You know I wouldn’t do it, God.” The door of the room in which Laurentine was being treated was opened momentarily and his wife ; saw his face. She became calm then. She had offered to give a blood transfusion. She was quite possessed, not hysterical and did not appear to be under the influence of liquor. POST-MORTEM DISCLOSURES . Dr. P. P. Lynch, consulting patholo- i gist to the Wellington Public Hospital, j detailed the results of his post-mortem - examination. The first wound—that ’ between the ninth and tenth rib —had . transfixed the lower lobe of the left . lung in the space between the dia phragm and the chest wall. The diaphragm was transfixed and pierced in two places. The left lung had collapsed from the escape of air into the pleural cavity. This wound resulted in a massive haemorrhage from the wounded J lung and chest wall. The appearance of the wound indicated a direct stab L at right angles to the surface of the j body. The carving knife shown him . could have caused all the wounds. > The second wound in the upper part ! of the left thigh was immediately over > the femoral vein, which had been trans- . fixed, as if by the point of a knife. There was profuse haemorrhage. - Either of these wounds would have . caused death. Little or no harm v>as . done by the third wound, in the left 5 thigh, no important structure having been injured. The cause of death was i haemorrhage./ 1 The first and second wounds would ! I have required considerable violence. ! i both by reason of the depth of the : wounds and the thickness of the cloth, i ing. The first had taken almost the full ( extent of the blade. The wound in ) the upper thigh was shallow. Only the » point of the blade had penetrated the . skin and underlying vessels. The lower * thigh wound was two inches deep. The ; degree of intoxication of Laurentine as ■ evidenced by the result of analysis, would be such as to be obvious to bystanders. The carving knife produced had human bloodstains on it. Robert Leslie Andrew, acting Dominion Analyst, said that evidences of the presence of alcohol in contents taken from the body of Laurenson would, on current authorities, indicate ; that the subject was well drunk. ACCUSED’S REMARKS Detective P. C. Smeaton, associated with Detective-Sergeant W. McLennan in the investigation, said that they saw Mrs Laurentine in the waiting-room of the casualty station at 8.15 p.m. on 2nd November, .-.he was seated with her face down and her hands covering her face. She was hysterical and smen strongly of liquor. She said "Is he dead?” Mr McLennan replied, "Ak far as 1 know he is alive." Mrs Laurentine then said, "I know I’ve killed him.” On the w r ay to the police office she said, “We quarrelled and he hit me twice on the face. I fell and hit my head; feel the bump on my head.” She then guided one of his hands to the back of her head, where he felt a bump about an inch in diameter. She then continued, “I stabbed him | with the knife I was using to cut the j lamb’s fry; the knife was on the bench. He said. ‘Jean, you quick-tempered ‘I know. I meant to stab you.’ We had been to the races. 1 love him; is he dead?” While saying this in the police car on the way to the station Mrs Laurentine sat just staring ahead, dazed and addressing no one in particular. Detective Smeaton said that Mr McLennan and he then visited the Laurentines’ flat. Here Mr McLennan took possession of a bloodstained carving knife from a bench. On the stove was a pan containing cooked lambs’ fry. They went to the hospital where on being infoimed of Laurentines death, they took possession of the clothing he had been wearing Witness produced this. At this stage accused, who had become distressed, was asked by Mr Me Lennan if she would like an adjournment. but said. “No, go on I' m sorrvI can't help it. I'm all right now,’ thank you. Continuing, Detective Smeaton said that when arrested and asked if she h- anything to say, Mrs Laurentine replied "No. Dr. Mazengarb: Her altitude was to conceal nothing; she was frankly concerned about her husband's life’— Yes. She was unconcerned for herself and concerned only for her husband’—l cannot answer that question; I could

[ not judge. She was hysterical at the [ time and smelt strongly of liquor. . Mrs Laurentine reserved her defence ■ I and was committed for trial at the J quarterly sessions of the Supreme Court 1 in Wellington, starting on 3rd February. 1941.