Jury deliberations in the David McNee murder trial have now entered their third day. The jury will return to the High Court in Auckland at nine this morning, resuming deliberations that began at midday on Monday. Last night Justice Marion Frater suggested an early night might give members time to collect their thoughts on the case, and start afresh today. Jurors must decide whether 24-year-old Phillip Edwards is guilty of murdering McNee, or whether it was manslaughter by provocation. Edwards has used the "homosexual panic" defence to claim that he "lost control" after McNee broke the boundaries of a sexual arrangement that they had made. Frater endorsed this defence on Monday in her closing comments when she stated she was satisfied there were grounds for provocation to cause that loss of self control.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 11th August 2004 - 12:00pm