Husband out of coma but still in the dark
The man critically wounded by his son has regained consciousness but doesn’t know his wife and son are dead.
Keith Bremner, 64, is recovering from multiple injuries in the high dependency unit at Waikato Hospital.
His wife Clare, 60, was fatally stabbed at their home in Otorohanga by their son Ross, who was found dead four days later alongside elderly couple Mona Tuwhangai, 80, and Maurice O’Donnell, 72, inside their Kawhia Harbour home.
Bremner, 34, was suffering from mental health illnesses.
Keith Bremner is unaware of the tragic ordeal, according to neighbour and friend Dennis Kaumoana.
“The good thing is he is out of the coma and he’s opened one eye. He’s still finding it hard to breathe but he can respond to questions by giving the thumbs up or the thumbs down,” said Kaumoana, who is a cousin of Mona Tuwhangai.
He said the Bremners were a lovely caring couple who helped him and his wife settle in when they moved into their home “across the paddock” three years ago.
Clare and Dennis’ wife Pauline shared a love of gardening. He said the couple were hard workers and looked out for him after Pauline died of cancer.
“Keith teaches young fellas farming skills at the Maniapoto Marae Pact Trust and Clare was a relief pre- school teacher,” he said.
Kaumoana added Clare Bremner confided in his wife, a former psychiatric nurse, about her son’s ongoing struggles with schizophrenia.
Two weeks before Ross Bremner went on his killing rampage, his mother told Kaumoana she was worried about his state of mind.
“Clare said he was off his meds and became unpredictable.”
Later that day, Clare Bremner gave Kaumoana the “thumbs up”, indicating things were under control.
The next time Kaumoana saw his neighbour, she was dead.
The community security guard in Otorohanga was at work when he heard on the police scanner fire trucks were on their way to Cruden Ave where he lives.
Kaumoana panicked momentarily, thinking his four dogs were trapped inside a burning house. But as he drove home, Kaumoana saw ambulances, police and the fire brigade outside the Bremner’s house.
“It looked serious. When I got there, the boys had got Keith into the ambulance. I went with the police to make sure the house was secure — that’s when we found out Clare was hurt,” Kaumoana said.
“I was gutted. Seeing Keith was bad enough but knowing Clare’s life had been taken was devastating.”
Last week, Kaumoana and his niece Josephine Kukutai, the daughter of Mona Tuwhangai and Maurice O’Donnell, attended the joint funeral of Clare and Ross Bremner at St Bride’s Anglican church.
“I got up and spoke, so did my niece. She said there was no animosity towards Ross and the Bremner family,” said Kaumoana. “She hoped they could get on with their lives and concentrate on Keith’s recovery. It was extremely moving.”