Woman killed as she held her son
A man has pleaded guilty to stabbing his ex-partner to death while she held on to their young son.
Ephraim Joseph Beazley appeared at the High Court in Auckland yesterday before Justice Simon Moore, where he admitted murdering Xi Wang.
According to the summary of facts, Beazley and Wang were in a relationship for two years.
They eventually broke up before their son was born. On Monday December 10, Beazley decided he would kill Wang, the court documents show.
He left his home in Rotorua and drove Ephraim Beazley to Manukau
in south Auckland armed with a sheath knife that he used on hunting trips. He parked outside the house, which was in darkness.
When he approached he pulled a cap over his head to disguise himself. He knocked several times and waited for Wang.
When she came to the door, she was holding their son, according to the summary of facts.
Beazley attacked, striking her in the throat, neck, head and genitals with the knife.
Throughout the attack she held on to her son.
‘‘He realised that he had done enough to kill her so ran from the scene, leaving his son in the victim’s arms,’’ the court documents read.
Beazley then drove to Botany town centre, where he called the police and confessed.
He then called a friend and told him.
He was arrested a short time later by police, who found the knife in his pocket.
Wang was found by a flatmate, and later pronounced dead at the scene by medics.
Their son, who was 2-years-old at the the time, was uninjured, it is understood.
In explanation for the offending, Beazley said he had ‘‘enough of life’’ and the relationship with Wang.
According to the summary of facts, he thought his best option was ‘‘to kill her’’, so he planned how he was going to do that.
He picked out what clothes he was going to wear and selected the knife before travelling to Auckland.
Nicolette Dickson the acting South Auckland regional manager for Oranga Tamariki told Stuff decisions were being made as to who would care for the child.
‘‘Oranga Tamariki is working with family members on longterm care arrangements for the young child in these tragic circumstances,’’ she said.
‘‘We are not in a position to go into any further detail due to privacy reasons.’’
In December, at Beazley’s first appearance in the Manukau District Court, a suppression order was made preventing the publication of his identity and the details of the charge.
This included the suppression of the victim’s identity, her relationship to the accused and how he allegedly killed her.
He will be sentenced next month.