An ex-colleague and friend of her daughter, Jemma Colvin, gave evidence yesterday on the second day of Patricia Elizabeth Samson’s trial at the High Court in Invercargill, where she denies a charge of attempting to defeat the course of justice.
The Crown says Samson discarded items into the Oreti River which would tie her son Samuel Samson to the murder of Azalia Wilson at the Bavarian Motel on November 17, 2019.
Ms Colvin told the court she was a close friend of Samson’s youngest daughter and the trio worked together as caregivers in Invercargill.
With tears in her eyes, Ms Colvin said, on the afternoon of November 17, they were at the home of one Samson’s friends when they read a news article about police looking for information about suspicious activity at Fosbender Park.
“She said it was her they were talking about, because she went out there with Sam,” Ms Colvin said.
She said Samson then told her that she had gone there with her son and they “got rid of some stuff”.
On one another occasion Samson told her her son had taken Ms Wilson’s life.
Under cross-examination, defence counsel David Slater asked if she remembered the specific words used by Samson, she replied she could not remember, but was “pretty sure” that was what she had said.
Ms Colvin was emotional and Mr Slater asked if police had told her to emphasise certain things during her evidence, which she agreed was true.
He then asked if she was felt under pressure to say those things during the trial — ‘‘a bit’’, she said.
Under re-examination, Crown prosecutor Riki Donnelly asked why she felt under the pressure.
“Because I had three people coming to me and telling me to say, ‘Make sure you say this’.’’
Another colleague of both Samson and Ms Colvin, Raylene Lee
told the court about an occasion when she saw Samson talking to the police.
When Ms Lee asked Samson what it was about she told her they had arrested another person in relation to Ms Wilson’s murder.
“She said they will be probably coming to get me next.”
Ms Lee then asked why she would do that and Samson replied it was because she went to pick up her son from the motel room and they ‘‘dumped stuff’’ out at Sandy Point.
Under cross-examination, Ms Lee said Samson told her that police would probably want to talk to Samson’s colleagues at work.
Mr Slater asked her if Samson suggested she should not talk to them at all, she said no.
The trial continues today.
