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Cook Rena Maloney allegedly stabbed her partner late last year and then buried him in the backyard of the Christchurch home they shared.
Martin Orme Berry’s remains were discovered on a property he owned on Main North Rd, Papanui, on Wednesday morning after a woman, believed to be Maloney, contacted police and told them he was buried there.
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Maloney, 55, also known by the surname Joyce, was charged with murder Wednesday afternoon and appeared in Christchurch District Court Thursday morning.
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She did not plead guilty and was placed on remand by Judge Quentin Hix to appear in Christchurch Superior Court on February 4. His defense attorney, Karen Chalmers, did not request bail or name expungement. A request to photograph Maloney at the pier was denied.
Court documents allege that Maloney fatally stabbed Berry, a warehouseman who was also 55, on December 29.
Stuff
Martin Berry and his partner lived in a rough cast house on Main North Rd.
Police said they wanted to know of anyone who has been in contact with or visiting the occupants of 139a Main North Rd since Christmas Day.
Investigators working on Operation Leaf, the code name for the homicide investigation, were conducting a scene examination Wednesday night at the 1,100-square-meter property, which has a long driveway and is masked by mature trees and shrubs. Investigators returned to the property Thursday.
The San José school, a Catholic elementary school and a residence for nuns are on the fence.
Two women, Berry’s mother and sister, are listed on the 2020 electoral roll as residents of the property, but both live on the North Island.
John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
Berry’s remains were discovered on Papanui’s property after a woman contacted police to report a body.
Members of Berry’s bereaved family declined to comment Wednesday.
Police said they believed the killing was an “isolated incident”.
“We want to reassure members of the public that there are no general security concerns for the wider Papanui community.”
A formal autopsy and identification process would take place on Thursday. Examination of the scene would continue for several days, during which a scene guard would remain on the property.
Neighbors said Berry appeared to live in the three-bedroom house, which he bought in 2002, with a woman they believed was his partner.
John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
The body is believed to have remained in the backyard of the house for at least 15 days.
A nearby resident said he knew the couple and used to see Berry walking his dog, but hadn’t seen him for about a month.
The neighbor said she last saw the woman before Christmas when she randomly visited her to tell her that she had stopped drinking alcohol and was taking medications that would make her “very sick” if she drank again.
The woman apologized for “the problem” that had happened in the past, the neighbor said.
“But that was a good way back… mid-year.
“When the police cars used to come, and there were a lot of police cars that used to come, it would take more than one batch of police to stop what was happening there.”
Berry’s parents were immigrants from England and Berry was born in Auckland.
The homicide investigation is the third to open in Christchurch in just 13 days.
John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
Detectives arriving at the property on Main North Rd, Christchurch.
Kane Wayman, 46, an associate of the Head Hunters gang, died after he was allegedly beaten and kicked repeatedly on January 1 after a night of drinking at the Mongols’ headquarters on the South Island, outside of Christchurch.
Wayman and a couple dozen others had attended a New Years Eve party at the gangbanger.
Four people, including Mongolian members, have been charged with his murder.
Two days later, in an unrelated incident, Michael Joseph Graham, 57, died on a property on England St, Christchurch.
Police allege that he was killed by Nathan Ihaka Te Hana.
Anyone with information on Berry’s death should call 105 and request that their details be relayed to the Operation Leaf team.
