Tauranga murders in history

Murder cases forever remain in the mind of investigators, no matter how many years have passed, says Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner.

Murders play a part of every community's history and Tauranga has had its fair share.


Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner reads up on old murder cases.

The first recorded murder in the region was in 1867, when the remains of military settler Alfred J Campbell were found on the side of the road near Oropi, along with the skeleton of a horse and foal.

Alfred appeared to have died from a gunshot wound to the back around January 7, 1867.

The last recorded murder in Tauranga was that of Robyn Anne Prole, who was stabbed by her ex-husband Rex Prole on July 20, 2012.

Prole was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 11 years on May 30, 2013.

Greg is one police officer who has seen his fair share of criminal activities, including murder.

Greg says such cases, especially unsolved ones, always remains in the mind of the officers investigating them.

He says information continues to flow in and an officer will never rest until the answer is found.

'We regularly review cases and go back to the community to see if new information has come to light.

'Over time, people involved in such investigations formed friendships that will continue for most of their career, and even once they have retired.”

One example involves retired Detective Inspector Allan Collin who still contacts the family of Judith Yorke, who disappeared from the Matapihi area in October 1992.

Greg says the Detective Inspector contacts the family every anniversary of her disappearance.

The theory is the mother has been murdered but no body has ever been found.

'We use good, robust police work and luck to help us solve crimes,” says Greg.

'It's not just random luck, its luck that someone witnessed something and may not know it. We have to generate luck by making a plan and using all resources available to us, including the media.”

Police officers involved in homicide investigations have a strict structure to follow to make sure they have left no stone unturned.

Greg says this is a method that has been developed through more than 100 years of policing – and it works.

'It's a set template of how to handle forensics, witnesses, media and other aspects of a homicide investigation.

'It's about maximising witnesses and making sure everything possible is done to reveal the answers.”

Recorded murders in Tauranga:

1867: Alfred Campbell – skeletal remains were found on the side of the road near Oropi. Died from a gunshot wound to the back.

1892: Grace Emma Munro – the 30-year-old woman and her children were attacked by her husband with a flat iron and rolling pin. Grace suffered severe head injuries and died six days later. Her husband, Duncan Munro, was found not guilty on grounds of insanity.

1892: George Munro – the six-year-old was attacked by his father, Duncan Munro. He died from head injuries.

1892: Lilian Munro – the seven-month-old was found next to her brother George and also died from head injuries.

1928: Elise Walker – the 17-year-old disappeared from her uncle's home in Papamoa. Her battered body was found in Tamaki on October 1. Her cousin William Bayley was a prime suspect but his family alibied him. But in October 1933, Bayley was arrested for the murder of farming couple Sam and Christobel Lakey in Hamilton. Following a month long trial, he was found guilty and hung on July 20, 1934.

1972: Gilliam Morris – the 14-year-old was shot on the corner of Fraser Street and 11th Ave. Police were notified and a search of the area found Francis Raymond Richards, 20, dead in Memorial Park. Richards was found to have obtained a licence for a rifle on the day of the shooting.

1973: Donald Armstrong Akuira McLean – Donald was shot dead by his wife Lauraine after she found he had been cheating and discovered the woman was pregnant with his child. She was found guilty of manslaughter.

1980: John Mark Bidois – was killed during a fight between Mongrel Mob and Black Power members in Welcome Bay. Joseph Hohepa Thompson, was found guilty of his manslaughter.

1986: Luana Debora Laverne Williams – the 25-year-old disappeared from her Gate Pa home. Her body has never been found and she was declared legally dead in 1998.

1988: Janet Michelle Wardell – the 26-year-old Mount Maunganui woman was stabbed in the neck after being followed home and tied up in a sleepout in her parents' home. It's believed she pulled a face at Christopher Thomas Watkins the night of the murder. Watkins pleaded guilty to her murder and two other unrelated charges of sexual violation.

1989: Carol Lee Messenbird – the 26-year-old's Tauranga woman's body was found dumped at the side of a railway line in England after she had been missing for a year.

1989: Monica Cantwell – the British backpacker was raped and murdered just below the summit of Mauao on November. Her body was found by police three days later after her friends reported her missing.

1991: Graham Hutchinson Neill – was drowned by Donald Munro on Boxing Day in 1991. It's reported Munro tried to baptise Graham. Munro was remanded to Tokanui for a psychiatric assessment.

1992: Judith Anne Yorke – the 25-year-old solo mother went missing from Te Puke on October 21. She went missing from a party at a packing shed at Te Manaia orchard in Matapihi. Her body has never been found.

1993: Jim Fletcher – the 49-year-old was stabbed in the chest with a bread and butter knife when he disturbed intruders in a home invasion in Papamoa. Siale Fotu, 15, was sentenced to life for the murder.

1995: John Edie - the 22-year-old was kicked to death in a prolonged attack at a party in Maketu in June 1995. Mongrel Mob member Tokoroa Phillip Graham was sentenced to four years jail for his part in the death.

1997: Stephanie Baker – was stabbed in the back and throat by her ex-partner Jason Robert John Butler after she went to drop off her daughter at his parents' home. Despite pleading not guilty, Butler was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 1998.

1999: Jo-Anne Maree Van Duyvenbooden – was shot three times at her home in Welcome Bay before being dragged down a bank and had a mattress dumped on her body. Former Filthy Few president James Henry Wilson was convicted of her murder in 2000.

2001: Raymond Noel McKenzie – the 64-year-old was stabbed 14 times by an intruder at his Pillans Point home. David McGruther was sentenced to 13 years jail in November, 2001.

2001: Marta Webber – the 76-year-old was strangled with an orange lava-lava after refusing to hand over money to Ema Neru, a woman who rented one of Marta's properties. Neru was sentenced to life in prison in May 2002.

2002: John Rogers – the 55-year-old former teacher was murdered in the toilet block at Wharepai Domain in July. David Hynds was arrested for his murder and was found to be insane and remanded for psychiatric assessment.

2005: Natasha Hayden – the 24-year-old's body was found in her red Mazda Familia car at McLaren Falls Park in the lower Kaimai Ranges in January. Michael John Curran was sentenced to nine years for Natasha's manslaughter. He was orginally charged with murder.

2005: Aaliyah Morrissey – the two-year-old was fatally beaten by Michael Curren while he was on bail charged with the murder of Natasha Hayden.

2005: Toni-Anne Nathan and Mikaere O'Sullivan - died after being shot under the Wairoa River Bridge, near Te Puna. Police believe they were killed in an execution-style murder.

2005: George Andrew Grabner, known as Andrew, and Teresa Audrey Gunn - stabbed to death by Teresa's ex-partner in her Greerton home.

2010: Raveneet and Anna Sangha Raveneet were killed in their home while Raveneet's husband was in India on business. Raveneet was stabbed and Anna was also stabbed and put into a washing machine. Deepak Nagpal, 24, as sentenced to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years.

2011: Sandra Rachel Brown – the 59-year-old was killed in a knife attack at her Bellevue home. Her 27-year-old daughter was seriously injured during the same attack. Tamati Mason, 41, admitted to the crime.

2011: Gary Clayton Kimura – died from injuries he sustained as a result of a beating at his Margaret Road home.

2011: Colin Bidois – was beaten to death over the theft of a packet of cigarettes and a cellphone. Mark Rangiwaiao, 43, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 11 years.

2012: Robyn Anne Prole – the 57-year-old was stabbed by her former husband as she arrived at her Bell Street home and went to empty the mailbox. She died a short distance from her car. Rex Prole, 64, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 11 years.

2013: Isaac Dale Bushell - the 46-year-old Maketu man was found dead with a bullet wound in a park at Beach Road early on Sunday, December 8. Tyrone Daniel Flavell, 19, is due to appear in Tauranga High Court in November, 2014, charged with his murder.

Additional information from: Tauranga Kete.

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2 comments

Pig Tucker

Posted on 23-09-2014 16:39 | By mizprint

That couple that Bill Bayley murdered in the 1930's ended up getting fed to the pigs. Our family were in the butchery business back then & pork sales plummeted after that was revealed.


Incomplete

Posted on 29-09-2014 12:31 | By Kiri Upoko

Your list is incomplete. Missing from list is Lana Proctor, murdered by Malcolm Mita Michael Clark and Sam Tua in 1993 at Rangiuru road Te Puke


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