Wellington murder: 'They seemed like good people'

Photo / File

The owner of the house where the alleged murder occurred lives in London and was unaware of the incident, his family in New Zealand told the Herald.

The man's mother said they were waiting for a more sociable hour to phone him and tell him.

She said they only knew it was that house after seeing the letter box in media reports.

The house was managed by a property agent and they did not know the tenants, she said.

A neighbour of the house, that is accessed by a driveway on Beacon Hill Rd and run adjacent to a public walkway, said his daughter heard a gunshot about 7pm.

Other neighbours said the people who lived there had only recently moved in, and would be seen coming and going from the property.

Property Manager Colin Morgan told the Herald that he had spoken with police today.

He said he did not know the details of what had happened, and did not wish to comment about his tenants.

Another neighbour, Tessa Brough, said two women had lived at the house for awhile and were very friendly.

"Last night I went to go and hang my laundry and I heard a bang...a pop sort of bang. Like a gunshot. I didn't think anything of it at the time but I heard it coming from the back where our house is not that far from theirs."

She said the women would wave when they drove past in their cars.

Sometimes a young girl was at the house with them, she said.

Another neighbour who wished not to be named said the two women who lived there were very friendly. He understood it was a third woman who came onto the property and allegedly committed the offence.

"There was a couple living there and they seemed like really good people, what I was told happened is that somebody has come from outside.

"She has a young child and access to a firearm, that's pretty scary."

He said the neighbourhood was in shock.

"We are all surprised, we are very close to it and there are a number of people who are very close to it."

There was a lot of "skepticism" around the community now and people were eagerly awaiting more information from police.