The person accused of killing an elderly Wellington woman can now be named as her daughter, Julia DeLuney.
Helen Gregory, 79, was found dead in her Khandallah home in January after suffering what police described as a “violent act”.
DeLuney, 53, had interim name suppression — but Justice Karen Grau denied giving her permanent name suppression last month.
Her name, and her husband’s Antonio DeLuney — who does not face charges, but had also sought name suppression — were kept secret until now to allow the family to prepare for it being made public.
Justice Grau’s judgement has also revealed details about what the Crown alleges: “A brutal and financially motivated murder.”
Julia DeLuney in July pleaded not guilty to murder and obtaining thousands of dollars by deception.
The Crown’s case
The Crown alleges that Julia DeLuney deceived her mother into giving her $15,000.
It said she then went to her mother’s house on January 24 and murdered her.
The Crown said Julia DeLuney “attacked her with significant, and ultimately fatal, force”.
It said Antonio DeLuney called Julia DeLuney that evening and asked when she would be home.
After that, Julia DeLuney is alleged to have left her mother’s house and driven home, before returning to the house with her husband.
“Mr DeLuney, when confronted by the scene, called 111 and performed CPR until ambulance staff arrived and took over,” the judgment said.
Who is Julia DeLuney?
Julia DeLuney is a teacher who lives in Paraparaumu, court documents showed.
The judgment said prior to her mother’s death, Julia DeLuney had spent seven years trading cryptocurrency.
She described facing significant mental health issues since the onset of menopausal symptoms in 2022, and suffered from poor sleep, panic attacks and persistent low mood, it said.
She was currently taking an antidepressant, and had a history of anxiety and chronic low mood, depending on alcohol in her 20s — though she no longer drank.
Her husband is Antonio DeLuney, and they have been living together at their home while she has been on electronically monitored bail, Justice Grau’s judgement said.
He is expected to be a Crown witness at trial which is set down for June next year. There is no suggestion he was involved in his wife’s alleged crimes.
The document said the pair met in the United States and have been married for 10 years. They moved in together in New Zealand in 2015.
Antonio DeLuney has worked in construction and labouring. He has also reported struggles with mental health and alcohol addiction.
The fight for name suppression, and why it was denied
Julia DeLuney’s lawyer, Hunter de Groot, fought to keep her name secret at a hearing in September.
There would be a “firestorm” of media coverage that could prejudice perceptions, he said, suggesting the level of interest surrounding the case would be similar to that of Auckland eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne.
But in her decision, Justice Grau said this case and its “level of intrigue” was not comparable, and publicity would not be “relentless and hostile”.
“There will naturally be more extensive reporting when the trial starts. But that is to be expected, and it does not follow that it will necessarily be ‘minute by minute’.”
Justice Grau’s judgment said Antonio DeLuney reported being under extreme stress “from the traumatic scene of his mother-in-law’s death”, the impending trial, and the prospect of his name being made public.
His lawyer, Sam Campbell, said revealing his name may make people think he was connected to the alleged murder.
But neither of the DeLuneys’ mental health issues — or the argument that they might worsen if their names were made public — was a reason to grant name suppression because they did not meet the threshold of extreme hardship, Justice Grau said.
Publication of Antonio DeLuney’s name was not likely to cast suspicion on him, she wrote.
“There is no allegation that Mr DeLuney had anything to do with his wife’s alleged offending.
“I do not accept there is any realistic likelihood he will fall under suspicion or be ‘tarred with the same brush’, at least by any reasonable person.”
rnz.co.nz
