Khandallah Murder Trial: Daughter Accused of Stealing Funds for Cryptocurrency Investments

Julia DeLuney, 63, is on trial in the High Court in Wellington for the alleged murder of her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory, in her Khandallah home. The prosecution alleges that DeLuney, a cryptocurrency investor, stole significant sums of money from her mother before allegedly attacking her.

Helen Gregory was found dead in her Baroda Street home in January 2024. Her daughter, Julia DeLuney, denies the murder charge and claims another individual was responsible. However, the Crown has presented evidence suggesting DeLuney was in financial distress and may have attacked her mother in a fit of desperation.

Gregory had long distrusted banks and stored large sums of cash in plastic packets hidden around her home. Friends testified in court that she noticed two significant amounts missing before her death, including $85,000, which DeLuney later admitted to investing in cryptocurrency. Another $13,000 was also reportedly stolen from a salad bowl in December 2023.

Gregory’s close friend, Cheryl Thomson, testified that Gregory was certain the only person who knew about the hidden money was her daughter. "She told me categorically, without any doubt, that the only person who knew that the money was there was Julia," Thomson said in court.

DeLuney claims she left her mother with minor injuries after she had fallen from the attic and then drove to her home on the Kāpiti Coast. However, upon returning to Gregory’s house, she claimed to find it in a "warzone." The Crown, however, argues that DeLuney left the house, returned later with her husband, and that Gregory was already dead when she arrived.

Friends of Gregory also testified to her growing concern over suspicious phone calls she received every day for a month before her death. She feared someone was casing her home, and these calls "freaked her out," according to friend Jennifer Patterson.

Despite the allegations, DeLuney's defense team has painted her mother as a kind, generous, and spiritually strong woman who attended church regularly and helped those in need. Testimonies from friends emphasized Gregory’s generosity and her discreet nature, despite her financial acumen.

The trial, presided over by Justice Peter Churchman, is currently in its second week and is expected to last a total of four weeks. The jury has heard compelling evidence from both sides, and the case continues to unfold with increasing public interest.

As the trial progresses, the court will examine whether DeLuney’s actions were premeditated or a result of financial desperation. The outcome of this case will have significant implications for the legal understanding of familial conflict and cryptocurrency-related crimes.