Murder accused Bruce Howse wept over the deaths of stepdaughters Saliel Aplin and Olympia Jetson during police interviews, the High Court at Wellington was told yesterday.
Howse, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the double murders of the girls in the early hours of December 4 last year in a sleepout at their Masterton house.
The jury yesterday watched police video interviews of Howse just after the killings.
Detective Constable Mana Faraimo said he went to the hospital where Howse was being treated for injuries and told him something terrible had happened, that the police had found the bodies of Saliel and Olympia.
He said Howse began screaming and crying and tried to leave.
Howse told him about a group of men who had attacked him and they went back to the Masterton police station where Howse agreed to do a video interview.
Howse told Mr Faraimo he had been working in the kitchen of the house then sat down to have a beer and a smoke.
Howse explained the make-up of his family and said his relationship with his partner Charlene Aplin had at times been rough.
He explained hearing noises outside, first like someone on the driveway and then creaking noises, or whip-like noises.
Howse said he was sitting when he was grabbed from behind. He was dragged outside and assaulted on the driveway.
He said one of the men had blood on his hand and they had appeared to have come from the shed or garage. The sleepout was behind the garage.
One of the men said something like they were going to "get him, or kill him and get his family", Howse said.
He became tearful and asked Mr Faraimo: "Can you please tell me this is not happening, this is a dream?"
During a break when the officer was out of the room Howse muttered about "his babies," and " ... it can't be true".
He told the officer that he and his family had been threatened by a next-door neighbour in the days leading up to December 4.
The man had leaned out of his car and called Howse a nark and threatened to "get him and his family," over a court case.
Howse talked about how the evening before had been and said that he had made the children's tea.
After that he went outside and watered the garden and said he did not see Saliel and Olympia again.
The case is proceeding.
- NZPA
Murder accused wept in interviews
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.