Phillip Layton Edwards The family of the late gay interior decorator David McNee, who was killed by Philip Layton Edwards, have lashed out at the jury which found Edwards not guilty of murder and opted for the lesser verdict of manslaughter. Edwards beat McNee to death by punching him over over thirty times and was in 2004 sentenced to nine years in jail. Edwards is now on the run since last weekend after abducting a two year old child who was subsequently found shivering and wet on a cold Auckland night. Mr McNee's brother-in-law, John Oliver, has told The Dominion Post the latest incident would never have happened if the jury had made the right decision and convicted Edwards of murder. He says he and his family wonder "if we would even be talking about this if the jury in the McNee case had reached the verdict they should have reached, which was murder, not manslaughter, in which case he would have still been in prison." "We wonder just how the jury in that case might be feeling now that these events are unfolding," Oliver says. "One wonders if it's playing on their minds and if they might have a conscience about it." The family were not told that Edwards was to be freed from prison and the recent events have been difficult, Oliver says.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 16th August 2013 - 1:28pm