Angela Blackmoore: Jail for pair over young mother's 1995 murder

Two people found guilty of murdering Angela Blackmoore nearly 30 years ago have been sentenced to life behind bars at the High Court in Christchurch.

David Hawken and Rebecca Wright-Meldrum were given a minimum non-parole period of 10 years in prison.

The pair had pleaded not guilty to the 1995 crime, but after an almost five-week trial in December, a 12-person jury returned guilty verdicts for Hawken and Wright-Meldrum.

Blackmoore was a young pregnant mother when she was killed at her Wainoni home on August 17, 1995.

The 21-year-old had been watching the Australian drama Blue Heelers in the lounge alone while her two-year-old son slept in another room.

Autopsy results show Blackmoore had been struck by a bat and stabbed with a knife, resulting in 39 wounds to her head, neck, abdomen and limbs.

It wasn’t until 2019, after police put forward a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, that Jeremy Powell was questioned and admitted to carrying out the brutal attack.

He claimed that Hawken ordered the hit for financial gain and Wright-Meldrum had helped him, saying she had organised the time and the day and he had wanted to impress her.

Powell was the key witness for the Crown in the trial where he alleged Hawken offered him $10,000 to kill Blackmoore, while Wright-Meldrum was his girlfriend at the time and used her friendship to gain entry to the house.

In 2020 Powell received a sentence of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 10 years.

Crown prosecutor Pip Currie said Hawken was heavily in debt while on a sickness benefit and was being pursued for bankruptcy.

“There is overwhelming evidence in terms of proving the respective guilt of each of these defendants,” said Currie.

Hawken had been living in a house on Cashel Street, which was one of two properties owned by Blackmoore and her ex-husband William Blackmoore.

The High Court heard that Hawken had been helping the couple separate their assets following their breakup.

“Mr Hawken knew that, with Ms Blackmoore dead, his friend William Blackmoore would be the sole owner of the matrimonial property and, in turn, David Hawken would be able to use the properties as listed assets when applying for finance,” said Crown prosecutor Mitchell McClenaghan.

Powell said he was never paid by Hawken and he broke up with Wright-Meldrum soon after the killing.

Blackmoore's partner at the time of her death Laurie Anderson read a victim impact statement to the court before the sentences were handed down.

He said Angela was his “dream woman” and “true love”, they did everything together and their future had been stolen by this “selfish act”.

Anderson said he wanted to see Hawken and Wright-Meldrum “rot in jail” for killing a vulnerable pregnant woman who had trusted the pair.

To Hawken he said: "If anyone deserved a death sentence it would be you for knowingly killing a pregnant woman who had done nothing to you and would have never been able to defend herself.

"She was not out to hurt anyone, just live her life," Anderson said.

He told Hawken and Wright-Meldrum that they had shown no remorse and should never be allowed back into society.

Anderson said not only was Angela taken from him, but so too was his unborn son who had given them hope.

"I always will miss Angela, she's the love that will never leave me... rest in peace my love," he read.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.