Frankton murder victim named

DONNA WALSH/Waikato Times

CRIME SCENE: A police car at an address in Blackburn St, in the Frankton suburb of Hamilton where police are investigating a woman's death.

Relevant offers

Crime

Baby murder-accused sobs, sniffles in court NZ police access Facebook evidence Warning: Man approaching children Jail for stabbing ex-partner with screwdriver Megaupload accused to spend another weekend in jail Wellington man fit for trial on wife's murder Teen jailed for sexual assault Drink-driver who attacked officers jailed Accused 'shut eyes and pulled trigger' Baby death accused wants conviction discharged

A woman fled from a Hamilton mental health facility before allegedly killing her neighbour, a neighbour of both women says.

The dead woman was found in her house in Blackburn St, Frankton, shortly before noon.

Police have confirmed the victim was the property owner, Diane Elizabeth White. 53. Neighbours said Ms White lived alone, was pleasant and kept to herself. Her occupation is listed in the electoral roll as housewife.

A 40-year-old solo mother was last night charged with the murder. She was remanded in custody until February 3 for psychiatric evaluation when she appeared in Hamilton District Court yesterday.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told the Waikato Times that she rang both the Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre - a mental health facility at Waikato Hospital - and the police before the woman's death. The murder accused had turned up at her house, was unstable and threatening to do Ms White harm, she said. Police say they visited the area but couldn't see anything amiss but found the body on their second visit. They are investigating their response.

The neighbour became worried about the alleged killer's behaviour because "I could tell she was distracted by the way she was dressed. It wasn't how she would normally look like".

She rang police and the hospital again when the murder accused came back to her house from next door.

The neighbour told the Waikato Times the murder accused first came to her house for a cup of tea and told her she'd fled from the Henry Bennett Centre.

The accused looked distressed and asked for a piece of paper to write a note.

"They have had runs-in for a long time," the neighbour said.

"She (the murder accused) was a good girl."

The neighbour said she watched as the murder accused walked over to Ms White's house.

A little while later, the accused left.

That's when she locked her doors and rang the both the Henry Bennett Centre and police again. The body was discovered soon after.

Waikato police district commander Superintendent Allan Boreham confirmed that they received three emergency calls through the Northern Communications Centre over an 80-minute period in relation to a risk posed by a woman who had fled hospital care and threatened her neighbour.

"Police responded twice to the calls and on the second attendance officers found the body of the deceased at a neighbouring address," he said in a statement.

He would not go into further detail on what steps the police took after the initial call was received as that was still part of an ongoing investigation.

"It is important that we can be confident that all appropriate opportunities to protect life were taken and that will be the focus of these inquiries," Mr Boreham said.

He would not comment on the specifics of how the woman was killed.

He would not comment on what weapon was used, but the neighbour said she understood it was a hammer.

Waikato District Health Board spokeswoman Mary Anne Gill confirmed it had been in contact with the police and was co-operating fully.

The DHB was treating the incident as "serious" but she would not comment further on the circumstances surrounding the accused's medical history or alleged departure from the Henry Bennett Centre.

The woman's death has been reported to the coroner.

An autopsy was due to be carried out in Auckland.

- with NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News