A man jailed for a minimum non-parole period of 17 years for murdering a woman by slitting her throat from ear to ear has lost his appeal against conviction and sentence.
Duncan Conrad Murray Frost, 49, better known as Jack, had been sentenced by Justice Paul Heath in the High Court in New Plymouth in April after being found guilty of murdering Angela Deane, 55, at her New Plymouth home on February 1 last year.
He appealed both conviction and sentence last month.
But in a decision delivered by Justice John Wild today, the Court of Appeal dismissed both appeals.
During the seven-day trial the court was told Frost and Ms Deane had drunk wine and smoked cannabis and had sexual intercourse before Ms Deane started to cook fish fingers and hash browns for dinner.
Frost approached Ms Deane stabbing her in the back then cutting her throat.
Frost had admitted slitting Ms Deane's throat and stabbing her but claimed he was provoked and his actions constituted manslaughter.
It was disclosed to the court that Frost had 84 previous convictions, including assault with intent to injure and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
In the Court of Appeal in Wellington, Frost's lawyer Susan Hughes said he had a personality disorder which caused anti-social and narcissistic tendencies.
A psychiatrist testified during the trial but some of the testimony was deemed inadmissible, weakening Frost's case, she said.
Fellow defence lawyer Kelly Marriner argued against the length of sentence.
Frost had admitted the killing but claimed he was provoked as Ms Deane had been involved with the drug P and had been killed as part of Frost's crusade against methamphetamine.
Frost told police he stabbed Ms Deane through the heart after slitting her throat did not finish her fast enough.
Ms Marriner suggested this was evidence of his lack of callousness as he had "put her out of her misery".
Crown prosecutor Annabel Markham said Frost had admitted deriving pleasure from the killing and reminded the court he had a history of violent offending.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Wild said there was no basis to interfere with the conviction.
In dismissing the appeal against sentence, he said that for Frost to help himself to the contents of the refrigerator of the person he had just murdered and then drive off in her car "is hardly the spontaneous outpouring of remorse that might point away from callousness".
