Lawyers give jury choice of killers in bashing death

Jurors in a murder trial were told yesterday they had to decide who had lied to them and who the real killer was.

Was it Grant Elliott Wills, who the Crown says smashed in the face of Somwes Suksabai with at least 10 blows from a heavy kitchen pestle?

Or was it Mr Suksabai's partner, Suwapa Kampan, described by the defence as the "Thai bride from hell"?

Wills, aged 57, is accused in the High Court at Auckland of murdering 29-year-old Mr Suksabai.

He is also charged with attempting to murder Ms Kampan, 37, his former de facto wife, or alternatively with wounding her with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.

The killing happened in March last year at Ms Kampan's and Mr Suksabai's Henderson house, where Wills slept in a spare room.

The Crown claims Wills attacked the couple as they slept.

Wills and Ms Kampan gave evidence implicating each other.

In his closing address, prosecutor Ross Burns told the jury: "What you are going to have to decide is who is the murderer and who is the liar."

Mr Burns said the trio's unusual living arrangements created tension.

Wills, the cuckolded husband under the same roof as his wife's young partner, would have felt resentment at losing his wife and losing his role in the lives of the two children he had with Ms Kampan.

Mr Burns said Ms Kampan's story made perfect sense, and Wills' version was a load of rubbish designed to cover up his guilt.

Wills wanted Ms Kampan's jewellery to sell, he wanted the children's passports so he could take them to Thailand and he "wanted the man who took his wife and children out of his life".

"He wanted her out of his life. And he was prepared to kill to do it."

If Ms Kampan was a killer, she would have directed her violence at Wills, the man who made her life a misery, and not at Mr Suksabai, the man she loved.

The Crown said injuries to Ms Kampan's hand and head were inflicted by Wills, but defence lawyer Peter Winter said they were caused during a fight with Mr Suksabai while Wills was in his own room.

Mr Winter said Ms Kampan had a violent make-up under stress, which in this case was triggered by financial problems.

"She had a horrible other side, horrible enough to be a homicidal killer in a situation where she lost control of herself."

Wills was a harmless person she "set up for a fall".

Mr Winter said Wills feared Ms Kampan would commit suicide or threaten the children, so he agreed to say nothing to the police about what she had done in an effort to protect her.

By contrast, Ms Kampan "went into overdrive", putting the knife into him as soon as she got the opportunity.

"The reason he is here is because he protected her, because he simply didn't tell the police," Mr Winter said.

"It would be a travesty of justice if he were convicted on that basis."

The killing was the work of a homicidal maniac, and Ms Kampan, after a few brandies spiced with Eleven Tigers herbs from Thailand, was "crazy as hell" when she confronted Mr Suksabai about their plastering business not doing well.

Mr Winter said that Ms Kampan did not call for help or press the panic alarm when she had the chance because she was thinking hard about how to escape blame for what she had done.

 

"What an instinct for self-preservation. She is the Thai bride from hell," said Mr Winter.

Mr Burns said that Ms Kampan did not summon help because she was disoriented after the attack and terrified for herself and her children.