JASMINE WILSON MURDER TRIAL BEGINS
Court to be told of torment leading to Jasmine Wilson’s death
The lawyer for the Crown has told the jury in a murder trial that a Whanganui woman was killed by her boyfriend after enduring nine months of abuse and threats.
Jasmine Wilson died after receiving non-accidental injuries.
Mother-of-two Jasmine Wilson, 30, died in Wellington hospital after being dropped off at Whanganui hospital — badly beaten, dehydrated and barely conscious — in late July 2019.
Crown lawyer Chris WilkinsonSmith said the accused, Zane Paora Wallace, who was a prospect for the Hell’s Angels gang, was responsible.
“He gave her one last, and ultimately fatal, beating.
“That was the culmination of nine months of violence and threats of violence administered by Zane Wallace to Jasmine and he had told Jasmine over and over again that he wanted to kill her, that he wanted to do terribly violent things to her.”
Wilkinson-Smith said the jury would hear a number of recorded conversations between Wilson and Wallace from when he was in prison.
“He makes the comment ‘I’m going to kicking your [expletive] head in when I get out’ . . . and he’s telling her that she better be the best girlfriend or she’ll be dead.”
“There’s probably about 12 or 13 hours of calls. Those calls are going to be really significant because I think they are the best insight we have into the relationship, in their own words.”
He also said Wilson kept a diary which detailed the abuse.
“She goes into quite chilling detail.”
The jury was told Wallace was jealous and easily angered.
Wilkinson-Smith said Wilson had tried to leave the relationship, had stayed with friends in the past who had noticed her injuries, but in the final weeks before the fatal attack was going out less and appeared to be trying to make a home with Wallace, who was on house arrest.
“When there is activity, it’s getting things delivered to the flat or her making calls to arrange things but less and less she’s going out.
“Jasmine seems very happy and excited about two young puppies that she’s going to look after in what she hopes will be a home she’s trying to make with Zane Wallace.”
He said that on July 29, 2019, Wilson had an appointment to take the puppies to the vet for their vaccinations but that appointment was never attended.
“After doing those things to her in that flat, he does nothing to get her help, doesn’t call an ambulance, doesn’t get the attention of the neighbours, doesn’t mention it to anybody.”
On the morning of July 31, 2019, he said, Wallace’s father came to visit and that was when steps were belatedly taken to get her to the hospital.
Wallace’s lawyer, Jamie Waugh, told the jury his client did assault Wilson in late July 2019.
“Zane accepts that. He’s admitted the facts.”
“The issue at this trial is whether he is guilty of murder, or whether he is guilty of manslaughter. No one is saying he’s an innocent man — someone is dead.”
He told the jury the evidence the
Crown would present would leave them with reasonable doubt that Zane Wallace had intended to kill Jasmine Wilson.
“Unless the Crown makes you sure that Zane Wallace, when he assaulted Jasmine Wilson, knew what he was doing was likely to cause death and knowing what he was doing would likely cause death — consciously ran the risk she would die — unless they make you sure of those two factors, then Zane Wallace is guilty of manslaughter.
“If you give Mr Wallace a fair trial, your decision at the end will be the right one.”
Leann Michelle Wallace was also on trial for perverting the course of justice.
Her lawyer told the jury it was like a mini trial among the bigger trial and the jury must set aside the other facts of the case.
She said the Crown would ask the jury to make inferences about her client’s involvement on the morning Wilson was taken to hospital, but asked them to consider the evidence — of which there was none.
Justice Jillian Mallon told the jury they must put aside feelings of sympathy for the victim, not to come to an early conclusion and make a decision based only on the evidence presented in court.
The trial, at the High Court in Wellington before Justice Mallon, began this week and is expected to take between five and six weeks, with about 100 witnesses to give evidence.