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href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/neighbours-anxious-for-answers-as-homicide-investigation-continues-in-khandallah-wellington-death/VNX2AEDIRZEUXDLJ6JEHZRTOUQ/">Gregory was found dead at her Baroda St home on January 24 after suffering what police described as a “violent act”.
The police and the Crown’s claims on what happened that day can now be revealed.
DeLuney, 52, is alleged to have deceived her mother into paying her the money on January 24, before going to her house and attacking her with “significant, and ultimately fatal, force”, said Wellington High Court Justice Karen Grau in a written ruling on name suppression.
Julia DeLuney, 52, is on electronically-monitored bail with a 24-hour curfew. Photo / Ethan Griffiths
DeLuney’s husband will be a Crown witness in the trial. According to the Crown, he called his wife on the night of Gregory’s death, asking when she would be home.
“Mrs DeLuney is alleged to have left her mother’s address shortly after his phone call and driven home. The couple then returned to Mrs DeLuney’s mother’s address. Mr DeLuney, when confronted by the scene, called 111 and performed CPR until ambulance staff arrived and took over,” Justice Grau’s ruling said.
DeLuney is currently on 24/7 electronically-monitored bail at her home she shares with her husband.
In the seven years before her mother’s death, DeLuney had traded in cryptocurrencies and was living a “full life”, Justice Grau said.
But she reported suffering significant mental health issues from mid-2022 after menopause hit. She also had a history of anxiety and chronic low mood with an alcohol dependence disorder that began in her 20s, the ruling said, but was abstinent from alcohol now.
DeLuney’s legal team applied for name suppression on several grounds, including the affect it would have on her mental health and the risk it might cause to a fair trial.
Justice Grau said the Crown was alleging a “brutal and financially-motivated murder of an elderly woman by her daughter”, and her defence counsel argued this would lead to extensive negative media coverage and possible hostility and vigilante action from the public.
The interim suppression of DeLuney’s name was kept in place for four weeks to enable the DeLuneys to prepare for publication and consider their options.
A Court of Appeal staff member confirmed the couple has not filed an appeal on the decision.
The suppression lapsed at 5pm today. DeLuney’s trial is scheduled for June next year, and her next court appearance is set down for November.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
