5 Oct 2017

Guilty verdict in Chch murder trial

6:15 pm on 5 October 2017

A Christchurch man has been found guilty of murdering a man whose battered body was found by a Canterbury lake last Anzac Day.

Peter Carroll has admitted striking Marcus Tucker with a car steering wheel lock. Photo:

Peter Carroll, 52, was charged with murdering Marcus Tucker whose bashed and burnt body was found by a lake south of Christchurch.

Carroll admits striking Mr Tucker with a steering wheel lock but said he did not intend to kill him.

The prosecution said Carroll was intelligent enough to know that repeatedly hitting Mr Tucker would cause death.

The jury took just under three hours to reach its guilty verdict.

Outside the court, Marcus Tucker's younger sister, Belinda Ross, read a statement from his family, thanking everyone who had had a positive input into the trial's outcome.

"We are grateful to everyone that helped to get this verdict," she said.

She said the family now wanted privacy to process the guilty verdict but would comment further after Carroll's sentencing.

Several members of the public exclaimed "Yes!" as the verdict was read, while others cried.

Justice Davidson urged a jury to be dispassionate and objective when considering the case against Carroll.

"Mr Tucker died a violent death and feelings of sympathy for him and his family, his friends, and prejudice towards Mr Carroll, who admits he killed him, would be human.

"But you must decide the facts and reach the verdict as you would expect a judge to do."

Carroll will be sentenced on 2 November.