Mark Lundy trial: 'Where's the jewellery box?'

Mark Lundy in the dock. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Key pieces of evidence:
• Detective in charge of the crime scene claimed Lundy noticed immediately that his wife's jewellery box was missing from the master bedroom
• Wounds sustained by Christine Lundy had left her "unrecognisable"
• The jury was shown photos of the crime scene, in which Mrs Lundy's body was pixelated. Blood and tissue matter spattered across areas of the master bedroom was visible
• A window with blood and marks where tools had been used to open the window was removed from the Lundy's house
• The detective in charge of the scene on the day Mrs Lundy and Amber's bodies were discovered said officers entered through a ranch slider door and noticed a window latch near the door had been broken

Mark Lundy immediately noticed his wife's jewellery box was missing from the master bedroom where her body was found, a detective has told the court.

Christine Lundy, 38, and her 7-year-old daughter Amber were found bludgeoned to death by a tomahawk or similar weapon on August 30, 2000.

Husband and father of the victims, Mark Lundy, has pleaded not guilty to the double murders in the High Court at Wellington.

As the trial reached the end of its eleventh day, Detective Senior Sergeant Nigel Hughes, who was a detective in Palmerston North at the time of the murders, said he completed his examination of the crime scene on September 12.

Mr Hughes told the court on September 15, he then took Lundy into the house to help identify anything that may have been out of place or stolen.

Mr Hughes said Lundy was hesitant as they moved through the house, and on one occasion needed help to support himself.

He said after Lundy composed himself, they approached the master bedroom, where Mrs Lundy's body was found.

Lundy was quick to notice Mrs Lundy's jewellery box was missing, Mr Hughes said.

"As we got to the master bedroom he looked into the bedroom and his immediate words were, 'Where's the jewellery box?"'

Mr Hughes also recalled a comment Lundy made when they left the house.

"He made the comment in the group that 'I'm so glad they took the jewellery box, I'm pleased there is something stolen'."

Earlier today Mr Hughes told the court that all officers who entered the crime scene were wearing paper overalls, booties and gloves.

However, in video footage shown to the jury by defence lawyer David Hislop, some officers appeared to be wearing no protective clothing.

The jury of seven men and five woman was also shown photographs from the crime scene.

Mrs Lundy's body was pixelated, but the photos showed areas of the walls and roof of the master bedroom spattered with blood and tissue matter.

Mr Hughes told the court Mrs Lundy was "unrecognisable" from injuries she had sustained.

A window that was confiscated from the Lundy's home after the murders was also shown to the jury today.

The window was found to have traces of blood on it, and indentations where tools were used to "jimmy" the window open, Mr Hughes said.

This morning, the Lundy family's former cleaner said the air was "tense" just days before Mrs Lundy and Amber were found murdered.

Rowena Collett was a cleaner for the Lundy family for about three years, and would clean once a week, on either a Monday or Tuesday, between 10am and 1pm.

Ms Collett told the court things felt "tense" in the Lundy household the last time she cleaned their home on August 28, 2000.

"I felt tension in the air."

The trial continues.