Jameel Job in the High Court at Whangārei when he was sentenced for murdering Barbara Julian. Photo / APN
Jameel Job in the High Court at Whangārei when he was sentenced for murdering Barbara Julian. Photo / APN
The son of a retired school teacher who was murdered in her home believes his mother’s young killer remains unrepentant and should stay in prison.
Jameel Job beat Barbara Julian to death after entering her house intending to burgle it. He then covered her with oil and other liquids before putting on her late husband’s dressing gown and leaving.
Following the 2009 murder, the then-17-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 15 years. That minimum period expired recently and Job appeared before the Parole Board to make a bid for release.
Last year, Job, now 32, seriously assaulted a prison guard, who was concussed and lost teeth.
Barbara Julian was murdered in 2009.
Julian said the family did not attend the recent parole hearing because they did not want to see Job.
“We’re still pretty angry about what he did… nothing he will say will ever change what happened.
“To me, it doesn’t seem like he’s ever accepted what he’s done.”
Job encountered Julian, 70, preparing food for a get-together with friends when he entered her Kaitāia home in November 2009.
She asked him to leave and a struggle ensued, culminating in Job using a bottle to hit the victim over the head. He then beat her so badly she suffered fractured ribs, a middle finger and an arm.
The following year, he was sentenced in the High Court at Whangārei for the murder.
According to the Parole Board’s decision, Job said he had spoken to his victim at her front door before walking away.
Then he felt “overwhelming anger and rage” and returned to the house to “essentially beat the woman to death”.
Police investigating the murder of Barbara Julian in Kaitāia. Photo / APN
Job said he hit her with a bottle and poured oil over her intending to set fire to the house.
He could not explain why he removed most of her clothes and the board said it was an issue that needed further inquiry.
Job also said after the murder he closed the curtains in the house and did not know how to go about leaving.
He eventually left wearing a white bathrobe before being caught by a neighbour and friends of the victim.
Job was originally serving his time in Auckland South Prison but had to be transferred following the assault on the guard.
He assaulted him after he could not immediately have his laundry replaced. Job was told to return to his wing and instead of complying, he attacked the guard.
Since being transferred, the board acknowledged his behaviour had improved but said he needed to work towards having his security classification reduced so he could have more freedom in prison.
“We think he will need psychological assistance to do so, and we invite Corrections to provide a psychologist to try to assist Mr Job in improving his behaviour so that he can reduce his security classification,” the decision stated.
The Kaitaia house where Barbara Julian (inset) was found dead. Main photo / Sarah Ivey
In the meantime, the board found he had a high risk of violent re-offending, and reducing his classification and seeing a psychologist would likely take a significant period.
The board declined his release and said it would see him again in April 2026.
But his victim’s son did not believe any amount of work Job does behind bars could ever be enough.
“It’s up to him to do the work inside,” John Julian said.
“What’s done can’t be undone. He did what he did and I’m not in any mood to forgive him for it.”
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
