Current:Home > InvestNew Zealand mother convicted of killing her 3 young daughters -Quantum Capital Pro
New Zealand mother convicted of killing her 3 young daughters
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:44:54
Wellington, New Zealand — A New Zealand jury on Wednesday found a mother guilty of murdering her three young daughters after rejecting her defense that she was so mentally ill at the time she couldn't be held responsible.
Lauren Dickason, 42, had earlier admitted killing her 2-year-old twin daughters Maya and Karla and their 6-year-old sister Lianè at their home in the town of Timaru nearly two years ago.
She had pleaded not guilty to murder, arguing she was suffering severe depression that could be traced back to postpartum depression. Prosecutors acknowledged Dickason had suffered from depression but said it wasn't enough to warrant a medical defense. They said she killed her children out of anger and resentment.
They pointed to Dickason's troubling phone messages and online history in the weeks before the killings, including comments about wanting to kill her children and Google searches for "most effective overdose in kids."
Dickason and husband Graham Dickason, both qualified medical professionals, had moved from South Africa to New Zealand and settled in Timaru just days before the murders, seeking a more stable lifestyle away from the turmoil in their home country.
Lauren Dickason at first tried to kill her children using zip ties and then suffocated them with pillows. She then placed them in their beds under the covers and tried to kill herself.
Graham Dickason, an orthopedic surgeon, returned from a work dinner to find his children dead. He later told police he knew his wife was struggling with her mental health and with motherhood but had no idea she was capable of killing.
The guilty verdicts on three counts of murder came after a four-week trial. Jurors deliberated over three days and voted 11-1 for conviction, a split allowed under New Zealand laws. Dickason faces a sentence of life imprisonment.
Radio New Zealand reported that Dickason was motionless in the dock as the verdict was read out in the Christchurch High Court, and then cried quietly as she left. Jurors could also be heard crying, RNZ reported.
Dickason's parents issued a statement saying the deaths were the result of their daughter's debilitating mental illness.
"We would like to encourage families and individuals around the world to be aware of the symptoms of post-partum depression as early as possible, both for yourselves as well as close family and friends around you," Malcolm and Wendy Fawkes said in the statement, RNZ reported.
Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said police wanted to express their deepest sympathies to family members who would never get to see Liané, Maya and Karla grow up and live out their lives.
"Words cannot begin to express the tragic circumstances of this investigation," Anderson said in a statement.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Finland to reopen 2 out of 8 border crossings with Russia after a 2-week closure over migrant influx
- Biden will meet with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas on Wednesday at the White House
- Myanmar’s economy is deteriorating as its civil conflict intensifies, World Bank report says
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Secret Santa Gifts on Amazon That Understand the Assignment & They're Under $30
- Wrongfully convicted Minnesota man set free after nearly 2 decades in prison
- Where does Shohei Ohtani's deal rank among the 10 biggest pro sports contracts ever?
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- One year after death, Mike Leach remembered as coach who loved Mississippi State back
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Children of jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi accept Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf
- Stock market today: Asia markets rise ahead of US consumer prices update
- Amanda Bynes Shares Why She Underwent Eyelid Surgery
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- U.N. says Israel-Hamas war causing unmatched suffering in Gaza, pleads for new cease-fire, more aid
- Florida dentist gets life in prison in death of his ex-brother-in-law, a prominent professor
- Watch soldier dad surprise family members one after another as they walk in
Recommendation
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
George Santos attorney expresses optimism about plea talks as expelled congressman appears in court
U.S. sees unprecedented, staggering rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents since start of Israel-Hamas war, groups say
Can wasabi help your memory? A new study has linked the sushi condiment to a better brain
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Dinosaur head found in U.K., and experts say it's one of the most complete pliosaur skulls ever unearthed
Live updates | Israel plans to keep fighting as other countries call for a cease-fire in Gaza
Tommy DeVito's agent makes waves with outfit, kisses during Giants game