When the killer was captured hours later - hiding behind a hedge on a farm near the central Mid Canterbury town - the community was relieved.
But no one will ever forget his cold blooded crimes, or the women who lost their lives that terrible spring day.
In episode 12 of NZME podcast A Moment In Crime, senior journalist Anna Leask tells the story of the Winz murders and takes an in depth look at why Tully went on his murderous rampage, who he killed, the women who survived, and why he's been in the news since.
Tully took the lives of Peggy Noble and Leigh Cleveland that day.
He wounded Lindy Curtis with his sawn-off pump-action shotgun, and missed Kim Adams by a hair's breadth.
His offending terrified the community, destroyed the families of the fallen and traumatised those who witnessed it.
Tully's journey through the courts did little to ease that. His courtroom antics and claims of impending death because of a self-diagnosed skin disorder were frustrating and upsetting for those there to see justice done.
Eventually, the double murderer was jailed for life.
A Moment In Crime is written, hosted and produced by Leask with help from the NZME sound and vision team.
Double murderer Russell Tully in court during his trial. Photo / NZ Herald
Leask has been covering crime and justice for the Herald for more than a decade and has reported on most of the major incidents and events over that time.
"Each month I'll take you inside some of our most infamous incidents, notorious offenders and behind the scenes of high-profile trials and events to show you what's really happening in your backyard," she said.
"Heroes and villains battle for justice to be done, and it seems no matter how horrifying the story, we always want to know more.
"If you want to know more about the cases that have shocked and shaped our nation - from murders and massacres to violent villains and the utterly unbelievable - join me for A Moment In Crime."
In our first episode, we looked back at the Christchurch terror attack - what unfolded on March 15 and how it changed New Zealand.
Russell Tully in the Ashburton Winz office during his 61-second murder rampage. Photo / Supplied
The podcast has also delved into the cold case murder of Kayo Matsuzawa, the murder of Feilding farmer Scott Guy, the cold case of schoolgirl Alicia O'Reilly, double killer Jason Somerville - infamous for the Christchurch House of Horrors, and the Lundy and Crewe family murders.
In 2017, Leask wrote and hosted Chasing Ghosts - a six-part podcast series on the Amber-Lee Cruickshank case.
The South Island toddler disappeared almost 27 years ago from a small town on the shore of Lake Wakatipu.
Despite exhaustive and repeated searches, there has never been any sign of the little girl.
To mark the 25th anniversary of Amber-Lee's disappearance, Leask investigated the famous cold case in a bid to generate some answers for the toddler's family.
