Christine Lundy's brother, Glenn Weggery, in the witness box while being cross-examined by defence lawyer David Hislop, QC. Photo / Mark Mitchell
KEY POINTS
• Mrs Lundy told a friend they were paying $600 a day interest after investing in the wine industry
• Defence wounds on Mrs Lundy's arms and hands suggests she woke up during the attack
• Lundy rang home just minutes after the bodies were discovered, and asked to speak to his wife
• Lundy's brother-in-law Glenn Weggery is accused by defence lawyers of killing Christine and Amber Lundy
• Defence says Mrs Lundy scratched his face during the attack resulting in a cut on his nose
• A teen relative of Mr Weggery previously accused him of sexual misconduct but he denied that or any suggestion of an improper relationship with Amber
• Blood was found in the boot of Mr Weggery's car, which he could not explain
• Blood traces in Mr Weggery's house were an 83 per cent match with Mrs Lundy's DNA and an 88 per cent match with Amber's
Even though Mark Lundy is accused of the murder of his wife and daughter, it was his brother-in-law who was in the spotlight today after defence lawyers pinned the crime on him.
Glenn Weggery - Christine Lundy's brother - spent most of the day in the witness box under intense scrutiny from Lundy's lawyer David Hislop, QC.
First on the scene at the Lundys' suburban Palmerston North property on August 30, 2000, Mr Weggery told the court of his horror at seeing his niece, 7-year-old Amber, with a hole in the back of her head.
"I hung up the phone and went down the hallway. Her head was cracked open at the back. Blood was everywhere. Brains..." he said.
"I saw Christine on the bed... I didn't go into the bedroom."
The jury heard the 111 call he made, asking for an ambulance after seeing Amber's "gaping head injuries".
"I suggest the only reason you knew she had 'gaping head injuries' is because you're the one that hit her on the head," Mr Hislop said.
The jury was also shown a photo of Mr Weggery taken by police after the killings and defence drew their attention to a cut on the witness's nose.
He told police he could not remember how it got there but said he was "a bugger for picking at [scabs]".
Mr Hislop revealed Mrs Lundy was not killed in her sleep.
"We know from the blood-pattern evidence, and there's likely to be no dispute, that someone had entered your sister's bedroom, gone to the far side of the bed and struck her with a weapon. And we also know... that your sister was probably struck when asleep and then woke up, because we know she moved, and she suffered what pathologists referred to as defence injuries to her hands and forearms."
Mr Weggery continuously reiterated his innocence, getting increasingly frustrated with the defence's suggestions, especially when Mr Hislop insinuated he may have had an inappropriate relationship with Amber.
He was similarly resolute when quizzed about blood found in the boot of his car and in his house.
Later in the afternoon the focus returned to Lundy as the court heard of his financial difficulties.
One of Mrs Lundy's best friends Karen Keenan - who came upon the bloody crime scene minutes after Mr Weggery - described the victim as a private woman but said she had once disclosed details of their problems.
"She told me that at one stage they were paying $600 a day interest and I remember saying 'how do you sleep at night?' and she said it was alright, Mark was sorting it out. He was getting investors," she said.
She told the court Lundy had called the house shortly after she arrived. Ms Keenan picked the phone up thinking it may have been emergency services, but it was Lundy calling from Lower Hutt on his cell phone asking to speak to his wife.
"I said she couldn't come to the phone because she was a bit tied up and she'd call him back," she said, after consulting a police officer.
Ms Keenan, who had a child the same age as Amber, recalled the grisly scene in the Palmerston North property.
"Amber was lying in the doorway and she was face down and the back of her head was matted and bloody. There was a huge pool of blood and there was blood all round the walls and roof," she said.
Julie Burnett from Manawatu Wine Club, of which Lundy was a committee member, said the defendant's credit card would sometimes decline when splashing out on hundreds of dollars of wine.
However, all the friends of the Lundys who took the stand today said there appeared to be no animosity in their relationship.
The trial before Justice Simon France is expected to last up to nine weeks.
This summer will be critical to discover if the sharks have started returning.