In 1886, as he sentenced Thomas Hall to life in prison for the attempted poisoning of his wife Kitty Hall, the presiding judge said: “You have achieved in the annals of crime the position of being the vilest criminal ever tried in New Zealand.”
A pamphlet about the Hall poisoning outlines the key characters in this macabre case Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library Ref: PUBL-0155-front
Tom Hall was part of a rich and influential family in Timaru, but when he ran into financial troubles, his solution was to marry a rich wife, have a child with her and then kill her.
Peter Graham, author of Vile Crimes: the Timaru Poisonings recounts his discoveries of what might be New Zealand's first celebrity trial.
Listen free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts or any good podcast app.
