SUITCASE MURDER.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 20365, 21 July 1938, Page 5

SUITCASE MURDER.

FURTHER POLICE EVIDENCE. Some Gruesome Photos. EXPLANATIONS BY DETECTIVES QUESTION OP SHOWING JURY. [By Telegraph. —Press Association]. WELLINGTON, July 21. The trial of Douglas Alexander Annstrong, aged 21, who is charged with murdering his father, Edwin Norman Armstrong, on May 6, was continued to-day. ; A , ,j ,J The Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, was on the Bench. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. W. 11. Cunningham, is conducting the case for the Crown, and Mr. H. F. O'Leary, K.C., with him Mr. D. Foster, appears for Armstrong. Detective Turgis, of Auckland, said he saw no marks of violence on accused at the time of the arrest. Senior-Sergt. Dinnie produced photographs of various exhibits in the case. The Chief Justice remarked that some of them were rather gruesome. Tlic jury was entitled to see them if it wished, but he suggested they wait until after the evidence of Dr. Lynch, who could explain all that the photographs showed and then the jury might not want to see them. "As far as the defence is concerned." said Mr. O'Leary, "it is submitted there is no need for the jury to see the photographs at all. There is no contest as to where the wounds are." Eight of the 21 photographs were then detached from the folder of the photographic exhibits, and SeniorSergt. Dinnie explained some of tho remaining ones -to the jury. Defence Case Opens. Opening the case for the defence, Mr. O'Leary said:— "The defence in this case is selfdefence and provocation, and in my final address I will submit to you that that defence of self-defence, coupled with provocation, is made out from tho case which the Crown itself has presented. All I want to do is to present some further evidence." Mr. O'Leary said much of the evidence' he would have called for tho defence had been made available through the fact that the Crown had seen fit to call accused's mother and brother, from whom considerable evidence had been heard, upon which he would rely on for support of his pleas he would put forward. He intended to call some evidence of outsiders to show that the evidence of Mrs. Armstrong and William Armstrong was true and that it could be corroborated by neighbours who lived in the vicinity of tho Armstrongs for a number of years. Four witnesses would be called to give evidence on those matters.