Man allegedly threatened to kill Angela Blackmoore before murder

A Christchurch mother received a “threatening” phone call from a man two days before her death saying “I’ll kill you” if she didn’t do what was asked, her boarder alleges.

Former debt collector David Hawken, 50, and Rebecca Wright-Meldrum, 51, are on trial in the High Court at Christchurch after denying murdering Angela Blackmoore on August 17, 1995.

A third person, Jeremy Powell, earlier admitted murdering Blackmoore and alleged he carried out the killing on instruction by Hawken after he allegedly offered $10,000 for the killing to help free up a property deal. He said that Wright-Meldrum accompanied him to Blackmoore’s home and that she used her friendship with her to gain entry into the house.

At the time of her death, Blackmoore was living with her partner, Laurie Anderson. The couple had a boarder, Brian Gardyne.

On Thursday, the jury heard from Gardyne. He told the jury that he left the home on August 15 and went to Otira.

In cross-examination by Hawken’s lawyer, Anne Stevens KC, Gardyne was asked about a statement he made to police in October 1996.

In the statement, he mentioned a phone call Blackmoore received that was threatening. Earlier that day the mother had been at the family court regarding a matter to do with her son.

There were five phones in the house at Vancouver Cres, with Blackmoore, Gardyne and another person listening to the conversation.

Gardyne said in his statement that a man was on the other end of the phone, and that Blackmoore was talking and yelling to them. He said Blackmoore knew the man and he was calling her by her name.

Stevens asked Gardyne about comments in his statement where he said he believed the call had something to do with money and that the man sounded like Blackmoore’s ex-husband William Blackmoore.

“Not 100 per cent sure,” he told the jury.

Stevens then asked about his remarks that it was not Hawken on the phone.

“It didn’t sound like him, no,” he said.

“I definitely recall the person screamed at her, ‘if you don’t, I’ll kill you’.”

Stevens earlier told the jury in her opening remarks that Hawken did not have any involvement in Blackmoore’s murder.

“The defence case is that David Hawken had no motive to kill Angela Blackmoore and he had nothing to gain from killing her and he had no power to order the killing.”

Powell murdered Blackmoore for his own satisfaction, Stevens argued, saying he “enjoys violence” and was depraved.

Wright-Meldrum’s lawyer Stephanie Grieve KC asked the jury to keep an open mind until they had heard all of the evidence.

“Focus on whether the Crown has proven beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Powell is telling the truth and that she was there with him. Is his innocence credible and reliable or is he lying about her involvement?”

The trial continues.

By Sam Sherwood