Patricia Samson in the Invercargill High Court. Photo / ODT
Patricia Samson in the Invercargill High Court. Photo / ODT
The final court case relating to the murder of Azalia Wilson finished in the Invercargill High Court today as Patricia Samson was found guilty of attempting to defeat the course of justice.
Samson (53) is the mother of Samuel Samson, who was found guilty of murdering Wilson at a trial in March this year.
Justice Gerald Nation, in his summing up of the case today, told jurors it was not necessary to prove Samson had put any items in the vehicle or thrown any into the river or that she had even asked her son what had happened that night.
"Proof of lawful blindness will be sufficient to prove knowledge," he said.
If someone deliberately shut their eyes to the obvious or refrained from inquiring because they think they know what the answer may be, it could also be proof of wilful knowledge.
Justice Nation referred to Crown counsel Mike Brownlie's opening in which he stated the items were put in her car and she and her son Samuel had travelled to Fosbender Park where the items were disposed of.
Azalia Wilson was murdered in 2019. Photo / Supplied via ODT
By her just driving him there the Crown said she was assisting in the removal of items from the scene of the crime, Justice Nation said.
Crown solicitor Riki Donnelly told jurors in his closing they had to decide what Samson knew when she drove her son to Fosbender Park.
"Why did she think she was going there in the middle of the night with Kiara, her son and items in the boot?
"What did she think about leaving Azalia?
"What did she know at that time?
In his closing, Defence counsel David Slater said jurors would not have to go further than the first part of law that needed to be prove, that the Crown made them sure Samson was knowingly and actively involved in removing items from the motel and discarding them in Fosbender Park.
Samuel Samson was found guilty of murdering Azalia Wilson. Photo / ODT
He reiterated it was not unusual for Samson to pick up her son in the early hours of the morning, to collect the baby and her son without knowing what Wilson was doing, that she did not know Wilson had been assaulted or murdered or why she was driving her son to Fosbender Park in the early hours.
She had put Kiara, Samuel Samson's and Azalia Wilson's daughter in the car but had not put in, or taken out anything else from the car.
"There was no way you could possibly conclude that Patricia Samson was involved in any way of disposing of those items into the Oreti River."
The fact Samson had been stopped by police the following day and still had evidence from the motel until, showed she had no knowledge of what had occurred.
He said the timings provided by data ram evidence showed she had only spent three minutes at Fosbender Park before she pulled away - not enough time to help dispose of any items.
