A 28-year-old man is on trial in Wellington for the murder of a 72-year-old gay man, who was bludgeoned to death in his home on December 8 last year. Crown prosecutor Grant Burston yesterday told a jury that Lee Hori Bishell, unemployed, was on P at the time of the murder of Johnny Walker, which was committed for the sole purpose of stealing from the elderly man. Mr Burston pre-empted homophobic slandering of the victim by informing the jury that in days to come they may hear evidence that was intended to blacken Mr Walker's name, but to remember that it was Bishell on trial, not the victim. Identifying the victim as homosexual, Mr Burston said that not everyone in the area had liked Mr Walker and that the night before the killing he made one of his regular visits to a local gay sauna.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 30th October 2003 - 12:00pm