Burning question in child’s murder
‘‘Why, why, why and for what.’’
That was the burning question from the grandfather of a murdered Otautau child at the sentencing of his killer yesterday.
The reason 15-year-old Daniel Cameron murdered
9-year-old Hunter MacIntosh in the Southland town while he was babysitting on October 30,
2019, may never be fully explained. Psychiatric and psychological reports have revealed little. There was no unusual behaviour, and nothing was known to have happened during the lead-up to the attack.
Justice Rachel Dunningham, during Cameron’s sentencing in the High Court at Invercargill, said the nearest the court had to an explanation was a report in which Cameron said Hunter had been ‘‘really annoying’’ the evening of his death.
Dunningham said Hunter, who the court heard had liked Cameron, had a device like an air horn, which made a really loud sound.
‘‘He kept making loud sounds with this device and would not stop when you asked him to,’’ Dunningham said.
‘‘If this is indeed the motive for murder it suggests you have a very significant issue with anger management which must be addressed before you can ever be considered for parole.’’
Cameron’s defence lawyer, Bill Dawkins, said he did not have an answer as to why Cameron killed Hunter.
‘‘Since my first meeting with the defendant I don’t know why he did the unthinkable.’’
Cameron was assessed by a psychiatrist and psychologist and reports did not reveal the answer, Dawkins said.
There was no event that day, there was no behaviour exhibited by Cameron that concerned his family, he said.
His behaviour could not be
‘‘Since my first meeting with the defendant I don't know why he did the unthinkable.''
Bill Dawkins Defence lawyer
predicted by anyone, including his loved ones, Dawkins said.
Cameron was sorry, he said. But Dunningham said she saw no real evidence of remorse.
Dunningham said Cameron did not suffer from any recognised mental health issues, and his background was relatively untroubled. He had never been before the courts before.
He was bullied at primary school and could lash out verbally, but that appeared to have been resolved when he changed schools.
His personality could be characterised as having mildly autistic traits, Dunningham said. ‘‘You do report a tendency to be angry at the stupidest things, and that will need to be a focus of your rehabilitation.’’
Hunter’s family called his killing a ‘‘senseless act’’.
‘‘We still wait for an explanation as to what happened and why,’’ they said in a statement released after Cameron’s sentencing.
‘‘Today’s sentencing is another small step on a very long journey for us and no punishment administered by the justice system will ever allow us to see Hunter’s beautiful smile again, nor does it dull the extreme pain we all feel every day he is not here.’’
Eight months earlier, on the evening of October 30, 2019, Hunter’s mother Amy King, stepfather Hayden Morris and Cameron’s mother were at a local pub playing pool together in Otautau, something they did on a weekly basis.
About 10.30pm they returned home and Hunter’s mother found him lying on his back on the floor at the foot of his bed. He had been stabbed several times.
She ran out of the house screaming. Cameron’s mother also went in to the house and saw Hunter. She then called an ambulance officer who lived nearby.
Cameron had been babysitting Hunter, which he had done at least 10 times before.
It was suggested the young boy had been killed within 90 minutes of being in the care of Cameron. He had been dropped off by his mother around 6pm.
Hunter’s mother, Amy, said, ‘‘[Cameron] chose to strangle and stab my poor defenceless little boy.
‘‘My reality is I barely function. The feeling of loss is so strong I wonder how I can keep living.
‘‘He was my life, my world, my reason for living. He was the other half of me.
‘‘I have no regrets except for leaving him with Daniel that evening.’’
She said she trusted Cameron and she would never forgive herself. ‘‘I have to live with that forever.’’
Otautau, 40 kilometres northwest of
Invercargill, is home to fewer than 1000 people.
After sentencing, Detective Sergeant Mark McCloy said, ‘‘On behalf of New Zealand Police, I want to today acknowledge the sentencing of Daniel Cameron, who senselessly and needlessly murdered Hunter MacIntosh.
‘‘Investigating the death of a child, particularly in these circumstances, always takes a tremendous toll on those involved and I want to acknowledge the exceptional professionalism and resilience the first responders and investigative team demonstrated throughout.
‘‘Today’s sentencing may be the end of the court process but it will not be the end of their grief.
‘‘Although I know the result can’t bring back Hunter, my hope is that it will help them to process what has happened in the coming weeks, months and years.’’
Dunningham sentenced Cameron to life imprisonment with a minimum of 11 years.