A New Zealand family is in shock after two of their relatives were murdered in England within a year.
Metropolitan police inspector Garry Weddell, 47, is believed to have murdered his wife, Sandra, 44, and her mother, 70-year-old Traute Maxfield.
Sandra Weddell's twin sister, Liza Devlin lives in
Rangiora with her husband Gary.
In June last year Weddell had been charged with his wife's murder and faking her suicide.
Weddell had been due to stand trial later this year and Ms Maxfield had been preparing to give evidence against him.
He was released on bail in September against crown prosecution advice and last weekend killed his mother-in-law before shooting and killing himself.
Weddell reportedly may have been afraid his wife was planning to leave him and emigrate to New Zealand with their three children.
Mrs Devlin's 18-year-old son Daniel said last night the family was in shock.
"It's shaken my mother up really bad," he told The Press.
"She was just getting over the grief of her sister and coming to terms with her death and then this happened."
"He (Garry Weddell) has taken the coward's way out of the whole thing," Mr Devlin said.
Liza and Gary Devlin flew to England on Monday to attend Ms Maxfield's funeral.
Sandra Weddell's body was found in the family garage in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, in January of last year. She had been strangled with a cable tie.
Weddell's body was found in a field in the grounds of Broomhills Shooting Club in Markyate, Hertfordshire, on Saturday.
Hours earlier, the body of Ms Maxfield was discovered, about 18km away.
British politician MP for Hemel Hempstead Mike Penning plans to ask the Attorney General how Weddell had been let out on bail against prosecution advice and whether the family had objected.
"I cannot think of anything more serious than a murder charge," he told Reuters.
"The system should be there to protect. It seems illogical that he was given bail."
- NZPA
