Man found not guilty of killing in Andersons Bay after court hears of Secret Service delusion

A Dunedin man in his 30s was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity this morning. Justice Owen Paulsen made the ruling at the High Court in Dunedin. The defendant killed Douglas Alexander Senior in their shared neighborhood. The verdict concludes that the man did not realize his actions were morally wrong at the time of the attack.

The killing took place on May 22 in Andersons Bay. Mr. Senior was found in a pool of blood in a front yard. A golf club handle, a dumb-bell weight, and a bloody plastic bag lay near the body. Medics determined the cause of death was a combination of blunt-force head injury and smothering. The post-mortem report listed a fractured skull, widespread facial injuries, and an 8cm puncture wound to the back.

CCTV footage captured the event. It showed Mr. Senior working under a car hood at 11:35am. Four minutes later, the defendant appeared in a window reflection, striking the victim repeatedly with the club. The video also showed the defendant moving back and forth from the scene, at one point carrying a black rubbish bag. His bloodied clothing and shoes were later discovered in a bin at the property.

In the days before the killing, mental health services had been contacted regarding the defendant. He has a history of schizophrenia dating back to 2011. Mr. Senior had called the police non-emergency hotline to report threats and aggressive behavior. He described the defendant as a time bomb waiting to explode. Police and mental health staff visited the defendant the day before the murder. He told them he was fine, no longer using substances, and that his dispute with Mr. Senior was settled.

The defendant admitted to police that he was responsible for the death. He stated that he used the golf club until it snapped. He then used two bags to stop the victim from breathing because the first one broke. A doctor examining him later heard the defendant claim the killing was an audition to become a killer for the Secret Service. He said he saw the opportunity to take the man out without much hassle.

Psychiatrists assessed the defendant after his arrest. They agreed that he suffered from a disease of the mind during the attack. His mental condition improved after he resumed medication while in custody. He was technically fit to stand trial by the time of the hearing. However, the judges accepted that he was operating under a delusional belief at the time of the killing.

Justice Paulsen is scheduled to decide how to proceed with the case in February. The decision will be made under the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act. The defendant will remain in the system pending that further hearing.