BRUTAL SLAYING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26747, 16 April 1948, Page 5

BRUTAL SLAYING

BULLET WOUNDS IN BODY

Coroner Returns Verdict Of Murder

P.A. WELLINGTON, Apl. 15. “This is a most vicious, brutal and determined murder which has possibly never been equalled in the history of this country,” said the Coroner, Mr W. G. L. Mellish, before giving his verdict that Roy Edward Wilkins, otherwise Francis Roy Wilkins, was murdered by a person or persons unknown. Wilkins’s body was found on the edge of the waters of Evans Bay, Wellington, on Aprii 22 hist year. Besides serious head injuries, there were several bullet wounds in the arms and trunk.

The coroner said the evidence, so far as it went, was very clear. It showed, too, that the police had done a tremendous amount of painstaking work in taking the evidence of so many witnesses. “ Unfortunately at the most vital times the evidence fails to point to the person most vitally concerned,” said Mr Mellish; The inquest was conducted by Inspector J, Bruce Young, officer in charge of the detective branch at the Central Police Station. Mr C. Evans Scott represented the widow,and Mr W. J. Stacey appeared for two witnesses, Mrs Esther Hayvice and Maurice Hayvice. Pathologist’s Evidence “ In my opinion deceased was still alive when he was put in the water. I think it probable that he was then in extremis,” said Dr P. P. Lynch, pathologist. He described bullet holes in the clothing, and said the body bore four bullet wounds. One was in the left arm,'one in the left breast, one in the back, and another involved only the thickness of the skin on the right wrist. On the back of the head on the right side there were three ragged wounds or splits of the scalp, he said. These were clearly not bullet wounds, but appeared to have been caused by some blunt, heavy instrument. “ The deceased was struck at least three heavy blows on the back of the head by some blunt instrument,” he said. “ One of these caused a fracture of the skull, and concussion of the underlying brain. This was a serious injury, but not one likely in itself to be fatal. It would probably render the victim unconscious, but would not necessarily do so. From the appearance of the body and clothing, it would appear that five shots were fired at deceased. The one which entered the left arm and chest and damaged the spinal cord was a mortal injury. Such a wound would, in my opinion, by reason of the injury to the spinal cord, be quickly fatal.” On April 24 1947, continued witness, he made an examination of a motor car which belonged to deceased. A sample of blood obtained therefrom was shown to be human. Blood recovered from the sea wall at Aberdeen quay was also human. “On Sunday, April 24, 1947, in company with police officers, I went to a garage at 118 Adelaide road,” said witness. “ I was shown by the police officers a caravan covered by a canvas cover. I saw there were blood stains on the cover. There were numerous spatters of blood and the shape of the blood stains clearly indicated that the stains were made by flying blood. At two places on the cover and at one point on the door between the front and hack of the garage there were splashes of blood, in which there were small bunches of hair. This hair appeared to be hair from a scalp.” Witness said that he had removed from the canvas cover the tufts of hair and from the wooden door the portion of wood to which the hair was adherent. He had compared them with hairs from the deceased’s scalp in the region of the wounds, and they were found to bear a resemblance.

a Mercury car, he went to see Wilkins at his garage. Wilkins, on being asked if he was sure the car was new. replied: “This" man rings me up and I do not know what sort of car it is until I see it.” Deceased did not say the man’s name, said witness, who told the deceased he would have the money by 4 p.m. that day. “At 3 p.m. that day, in company with my father-in-law, Joseph Zimme, I returned to Wilkins’s garage and I paid him £BSO in cash. He had previously told me he wanted cash and not a cheque.” Witness produced the receipt he had received.

Senior Sergeant J. Austin said he had recovered a black leather wallet from the body. It contained bookmaking accounts for a considerable sum, a new wedding ring and five or six cheques. There was no money in the wallet.

Dr Lynch said that while he was in the garage he saw a number of mechanic’s tools. He also saw a number of hammers, and thought any one of them could have caused the wound in the head which caused a depressed fracture of the skull. On April 20 he received from the police a hammer, described as having been found by Edward John Soloman at 130 Adelaide road on April 25 1947. It was similar to a number which witness had previously seen at the garage at 118 Adelaide road. In his opinion it, or some similar hammer, could have caused the wounds in the scalp and the fracture of the skull. There were dark stains on the hammer which witness scraped off for examination. There was no blood on the scrapings when they were examined microscopically and chemically. Mrs Alice Powell, of Taihape, said she had been married twice, and the deceased was a son of her first marriage. He was born at Hastings m 1904 and christened Roy Edward Wilkins. He was married in 1924 at Dannevirke, but the marriage was dissolved by divorce some years later. He was married again in Wellington in 1935. At the time of his death he was in business as a motor mechanic on his own account at 4a Palm Grove. Card Games Miss Florence Elizabeth Morgan, of Wellington, said she had known Wilkins for two years. About nine months after she met him he came to board at her mother’s place in Rolleston street. Witness said she had been in the habit of going with the deceased to Hayvice’s place at 518 Evans Hay road to play cards. They used to go about once a week. Mr Lewis Fenton used to go there to play cards. One night early in 1947 they were playing cards, and Mrs Hayvice remarked to Wilkins that she would like to get a big car. Wilkins then turned to Fenton and asked him what the chances were of getting new cars. Fenton casually said: “I’ll see what I can d °Witness said she last saw the deceased at 8.15 on the morning of April 21, 1947, when he left 18 Rolleston street to’ go to work. On April 22 she received a telephone message from Mrs Maurice Hayvice, of Evans Bay road, whose son was an apprentice at Wilkins’s garage. Mrs Hayvice said Wilkins had not been at work all day, and inquired where he might be. Later she telephoned the garage and spoke to Mr Hyder, who worthed in the garage. Hyder said that Wilkins had not been at work all day, and he (Hyder) was worried about his non-appearance. “ Later I suggested to Hyder that he make a search of some of the bays to see if we could find his car,” witness continued. “ I knew the deceased was in bad health with stomach trouble and thought he may have committed suicide.” Witness said they found no trace .of Wilkins’s car, and she and Hyder reported at the Central Police Station that Wilkins was missing. “I do not know of any person who had a grudge against the deceased, said witness. “I do not know of any person with whom he was negotiating to purchase a new car on behalf of Hayvice or any other person. He did not discuss those matters with me. Mrs Esther Hayvice said she ana her husband desired to purchase a bigger car. and in the course of the card evenings she had mentioned this to the deceased. Witness might have told Fenton the same thing as she was aware that he was a car dealer. Purchase of Car About 10 a.m. on Monday. April 21, 1947, Wilkins telephoned witness at her home and asked if she wanted to buy a Mercury car, as he could get her one for £BSO. Wilkins said he wanted to know immediately as he had two other people who would be interested. Witness told him she had a car, but could not sell it or raise money for the Mercury at such short notice. Wilkins said he had to have the money by 4 p.m. that day. Maurice Hayvice, a tailor, ol alb Evans Bay road, said that after receiving the telephone message about

Edward Wardle, news vendor, said that on the morning of April 22 he found the sliding door of a garage at 118 Adelaide road leaning over on an angle. He telephoned the police. Sergeant Robert Alexander Moore, who answered Wardle’s call, said he made an examination of the garage. Everything appeared to be in order and there was no sign of the premises having been forcefully entered. John demon Tillyard, coppersmith, in business at 118 Adelaide road, said that on April 21, he left his premises just after 5 p.m. He was the last to leave locked the d<sor between his premises and Empire Motors. There was an office in the very front of the garage. When he left he knew Fenton was in the office, and believed there was someone else in the office, but he did not see him. At about 5 o’clock next morning the police asked him to go to the garage. Stains on Floor “My son, after looking at .the garage, asked me if 1 had seen the blood up at the front door,” said witness. “ I said I had not. and then had a look at the spot and noticed where the blood had been. Under a small car liquid had been thrown, and then swept on to the roadway. Blood was still evident in that spot. The car belonged to Fenton. That morning Fenton said he had not had trouble closing the doors the night before. He also said he did not know how the blood came to be on the floor.” Later in the morning witness said he saw Fenton washing his car with a hose. The car was standing over the bloodstains. Terence Mace Tillyard, coppersmith, employed by his father, said that on the morning of April 22, when assisting to lift the door, witness noticed a pool of what appeared to be blood underneath the motor of Fenton’s car. Part of the blood had run out under the door. There were tyre marks in the blood. The bloodstains h3d been mixed with some liquid, and an attempt had been made to sweep them. Ronald Maurice Chalmers, mechanic, said he went to the premises of E. J. Solomon, where he was shown a hammer. He identified it as one from his premises. Kenneth Edward Turner, who bad been employed at Empire Motors, identified the hammer as being the property of that firm. Edward John Solomon, manufacturing confectioner, whose factory is 30 yards from Adelaide road, described finding a hammer beside his front entrance on April 25. It had heavy rust stains on the head, so he immersed it in fuel oil. He later showed it to Chalmers, who stated it was from his workshop. 1 Car Dealer’s Evidence Lewis Fenton, a motor dealer, conducting Empire Motors at 118 Adelaide road, and residing at 29 Townsend road, said he knew Wilkins through card parties at Hayvices’. He had no business deals with Wilkins, and knew nothing of his business dealings. To witness’s knowledge Wilkins had never visited the garage at 118 Adelaids road. There may have been discussions at a card party about the purchase of a Mercury car, but witness could not recall them. On April 21, witness played cards at the garage till about 5.30 p.m. He was the last to leave the premises. He arrived home about 6 p.m. and did not go out again that night. He did not notice a car outside the garage when he left. When witness arrived at the garage about 9 a.m. the followng day Tillyard told him there were blood marks on the floor. Witness had not seen any. He was of the opinion that the stains were caused by rust from emptying a car’s radiator. On April 27 witness went to the garage at the request of the detectives. They pointed out some bloodstains on the trailer cover, which was witness’s property. There was also some hair sticking to a wooden partition between Tillyard’s and the garage. Coroner’s Remarks The Nash coupe owned by the deceased had been seen and very definitely identified outside the bottle store of an hotel beside the garage rented by Fenton, said the corner, in giving his verdict. It was very unfortunate from the police point of view that the witnesses who saw the car did so just too late in every case to see who was driving. “It was very fortuante from the point of view of the murderer,” the coroner added. “ The last one to leave the garage was Fenton. Smith says he believes that Fenton followed him out, but is not sure. Fenton says that in his opinion the stains on the floor were not blood. Fenton cannot account for the bloodstains. ” It is inescapable that some attack of a particularly vicious nature was made on some person in that garage.” The coroner said that, in spite of all the police inquiries, nothing had come to light pointing to one particular person. The only certain thing was that a murder had been committed.