Family reel as wealthy couple's son charged with killing them

By BILLY ADAMS

SYDNEY - Exactly a fortnight after the bodies were found dumped in a shallow grave, bound and wrapped in plastic, a grieving family are facing up to the unthinkable: that the killer may be one of their own.

Matthew Wales has apparently confessed to killing his mother and stepfather. Today he will appear in court charged with their murders.

The brutal deaths of Margaret Wales-King, 68, and her second husband, Paul King, 74, have shocked and intrigued Australia.

For almost a month mystery surrounded the disappearance of the wealthy Melbourne socialites about whom no one had a bad word to say.

After their decomposing bodies were found by two rangers in a national park east of Melbourne, the police and media interest focused on Matthew Wales, the youngest of Margaret Wales-King's five children.

That scrutiny came to a dramatic climax on Saturday afternoon when the 34-year-old was arrested.

At a specially convened custody hearing, homicide squad Detective Sergeant Henry Van Veenendaal told a bail justice that Wales had made "full admissions". He is now being held on remand at Melbourne Assessment Prison.

Shortly after Wales' arrest, his wife, Maritza, 38, was charged on one count of having been an accessory after the fact to the murders. Released on police bail, she will also appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court today.



After Margaret Wales-King and Paul King disappeared early last month, a picture emerged of a successful retired couple who had no obvious enemies.

Wales-King, the daughter of a road-building and construction tycoon, moved on from the breakdown of her first marriage to shrewdly invest her fortune.

She shared a A$1.5 million ($1.8 million) home in Melbourne's most exclusive suburb, Armadale, with Paul, who in recent years had been rendered invalid after a series of strokes. Her passions included painting and playing bridge.

Autopsies found that the couple were murdered by asphyxiation within 24 hours of their last being seen alive, at a family dinner in Matthew and Maritza's rented home.

The couple, who have a young son, Domenik, and run a store selling imported clothing, became the subject of intense public speculation after police searched their backyard.

That intrigue heightened after developments last week.

First, Maritza Wales was questioned by detectives. Then police seized a trailer allegedly hired by her husband the morning after the dinner. They were also investigating neighbours' claims that Wales was seen hosing out his garage shortly after the disappearance.

And Margaret Wales-King's lawyer, citing confidential information provided by police investigating the murders, went to court seeking sole control of her assets.

The move removed power of administration over her estate from the co-executors, Matthew Wales and his brother, Damian, who gave their approval.

With police and media camped almost constantly outside Matthew Wales' house, the family made public gestures of support and unity. Wales-King's sister, Sydney socialite Di Yeldham, dismissed rumours of family involvement in the killings as "unfounded".

At Wednesday's funeral Damian, the eldest son, embraced his younger brother, who broke down in tears while sprinkling holy water on the two coffins.

On Saturday, as family members gathered at the murdered couple's favourite holiday spot, Sorrento, to bury the ashes, Matthew Wales was picked up in Melbourne.

He was questioned by detectives before being charged and taken to the hearing in a small room below the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Surrounded by detectives, security staff and media representatives, Wales, who was not required to make a plea or statement, said he understood the charges.

On Friday, Di Yeldham told one newspaper: "It's a wonderfully strong family, quite deep rooted on both sides of the family, and none of us stands alone.

"We are all part and product of a very important family tree."

Over the next few months those qualities will be tested like never before.