Julia DeLuney was found guilty of the murder of her mother in July. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
A woman who killed her mother at her Khandallah home in January last year will be sentenced at the High Court in Wellington on Friday.
Julia DeLuney was found guilty of the murder of her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory by a jury in July.
Gregory was found dead on 24 January, 2024.
The Crown argued DeLuney attacked her mother with a heavy object, possibly motivated by money or following a confrontation over stolen cash, and staged the scene to look like a fall from the attic.
The defence argued someone else killed her, saying there was no sign of a breakdown in their relationship that would explain a murder - but the jury did not agree.
Throughout the trial, the court saw photographs of the crime scene, including blood smeared on the walls of the hallway and splattered around the bedroom where Gregory was found, and heard from first responders on when they first suspected it had not been an accident, and forensic experts on whether the scene was staged.
It heard about DeLuney's emotional struggle and dealings in cryptocurrency, her clothing changes caught on CCTV that evening and the disposal of a mystery bin bag into a passing rubbish truck the following morning.
The jury deliberated for just over a day, before returning a guilty verdict.
DeLuney has been remanded in custody since the verdict, and is due in court in front of Justice Peter Churchman at 2.15pm.
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