Found Deceased NEW ZEALAND - Grace Millane, 22, British backpacker, Auckland, 1 Dec 2018 *Arrest* #2

[PrimeSuspect]

RSBM

"This is where we get into the territory of unforeseen death. This is not at all a domestic violence situation," he says.

Grace Millane murder trial: Crown and defence sum up the case

I like it when a situation is brought up that wasn't mentioned before, and then told, it is not it. Hmmm..

 

[Mariposa]

Brookie characterises the accused as a "young man who is prepared to do what his sexual partners want him to do in the bedroom."

The lawyer says considering the inexperience of the couple, the pair being intoxicated, and them getting carried away, the accused's version of events could be seen to stack up.

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Crown, defence present closing statements

Rsbm
Brookie characterises the accused as a "young man who is prepared to do what his sexual partners want him to do in the bedroom."

well that’s a generous spin on things. Has Brookie addressed yet the testimony of the woman with the rather recent date with him that she testified under oath left her struggling to breathe and scared she was about to die?

 

[Mariposa]

I'm a bit wary of this if they're relying on his version, if Grace and he were into kinky sex, lights would be on, imo.

I was trying to think where did they try to establish the lights were off, maybe that was part of the ‘coming out of the shower and not noticing a dead woman on the floor on the small room’ story

 

[Kikixxxx]

Rsbm
Brookie characterises the accused as a "young man who is prepared to do what his sexual partners want him to do in the bedroom."

well that’s a generous spin on things. Has Brookie addressed yet the testimony of the woman with the rather recent date with him that she testified under oath left her struggling to breathe and scared she was about to die?

I know?!? Who he quite literally sat on her face staring at her feet and nearly smothered her to death? And even when she kicked and played limp still didn’t get off her?? Was this for her sexual benefit was it?

 

[Mariposa]

I know?!? Who he quite literally sat on her face staring at her feet and nearly smothered her to death? And even when she kicked and played limp still didn’t get off her?? Was this for her sexual benefit was it?

Yeah sat on her “with his genitals” as Mr Dickey said.

 

[Kikixxxx]

3:32pm - Brookie questions the lack of defensive injuries on Millane's neck as well as the fact there were no scratches on the accused that may have resulted from a struggle.

He also says to the jury that claims about Millane being pinned down are inconsistent with pathology evidence and submissions from the pathologists.

The lawyer tells the court that the accused's claim in the December 8 interview that blood came from Millane's nose was consistent with pathologists' evidence that this can happen.

Finally on the pathologists, Brookie says, that, while rare, death by mechanical apsyhixation during sex is reported to have happened as he contends it did here.

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Crown, defence present closing statements

 

[Kikixxxx]

Defence lawyer Ian Brookie continues his closing address.

"An absence of injuries also show that this was a consensual act," Brookie says.

"There are no injuries which reflect Grace fought back against being strangled against her will," he says.

"... no damage to the fingernails, no sign of any resistance.”

The bruises were from the pair holding each other down while engaged rough sex, he says.

"These bruises are consistent with that."

Pathologist Dr David Fintan Garavan said he would "by and large expect to see something” in the event of a violent struggle.

“The Crown maintains that Grace must have been restrained. How exactly? Using his [the accused's] knees?” he asks.

Brookie also says the accused, in a doctor's examination, also showed no signs that would suggest Grace fought against him.

A few "little scratches" on his hand could have come from anything, he tells the jury.

Grace Millane murder trial: Crown and defence sum up the case

 

[flutterby]

3:32pm - Brookie questions the lack of defensive injuries on Millane's neck as well as the fact there were no scratches on the accused that may have resulted from a struggle.

He also says to the jury that claims about Millane being pinned down are inconsistent with pathology evidence and submissions from the pathologists.

The lawyer tells the court that the accused's claim in the December 8 interview that blood came from Millane's nose was consistent with pathologists' evidence that this can happen.

Finally on the pathologists, Brookie says, that, while rare, death by mechanical apsyhixation during sex is reported to have happened as he contends it did here.

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Crown, defence present closing statements

This is infuriating.

So she wasn't pinned down and she didn't defend herself?

She just lay there and let him suffocate her? Right.

 

[Mariposa]

I'm reminding myself the jury have seen the 7 photos of Grace's body the accused took, of her private parts and her feet etc, the trophy pictures, they've seen the horror he caused and he liked it.

You make an amazing point about the photos. They will pack a punch with the jury and each will be worth a thousand words of Brookie’s.
The 7 porny pictures of her he took after she died and shortly after he searched for the area he later dumped her body and searched out some “very young girls” *advertiser censored*. The photos of her body in the suitcase, bruises, autopsy. The luminol lighting up the hotel room. The CCTV images of him going about his errands and in another Tinder date <24 hours after the date with Grace where they got along so great per Brookie— wearing the same clothes!

bam!

 

[flutterby]

“The Crown maintains that Grace must have been restrained. How exactly? Using his [the accused's] knees?” he asks.

Grace Millane murder trial: Crown and defence sum up the case

Oh I don't know.. maybe he sat on her face and pinned her shoulders and arms down on her chest with his knees.
Like he did to the witness

The defence are doing their very best to say what he didn't do, but haven't actually said what he did do.

IMO

 

[flutterby]

Ok, it's nearly 3am here and I have work at 10. Should have been asleep hours ago!

Will catch up in the morning. Night all!

 

[Kikixxxx]

You make an amazing point about the photos. They will pack a punch with the jury and each will be worth a thousand words of Brookie’s.
The 7 porny pictures of her he took after the died and shortly after he searched for the area he later dumped her body and searched out some “very young girls” *advertiser censored*. The photos of her body in the suitcase, bruises, autopsy. The luminol lighting up the hotel room. The CCTV images of him going about his errands and in another Tinder date <24 hours after the date with Grace where they got along so great per Brookie— wearing the same clothes!

bam

Oh yeah what was he googling again? Young teens ? I vaguely remember that now... creepy. I remember reading that grace’s dad just stared at him when that was read out. I think it’s laughable the defence are arguing this was an accidental death and he panicked the more I think about it... there’s no evidence of a panic what so ever, not on any cctv in the days after, nothing. Speaking of those pictures and the *advertiser censored*... Brookie is very quiet about that?? Where exactly on the accused’s timeline do these things fit in then? Looks like he’ll swiftly brush past them I bet..

 

[Mariposa]

I really appreciate the points Mr Dickey made about the nature of defendants acts. IMO the evidence supports this being a sexually motivated homicide for the defendant.

A lot was said about Grace Millane’s sexuality in the trial. Clearly a defense goal was to detract from any focus on the twisted sexuality of the accused (as evident, for example, in the testimony of that other woman he was with weeks before).

He saw Grace’s corpse as masturbation material. The defense can say this isn’t relevant to deducing his state of mind a few minutes or hours before when his hands were strangling her but I think it is absolutely relevant.

Grace Millane murder trial: Crown and defence sum up the case

"He has eroticised the death of Grace Millane which occurred under his hand.

"He has a morbid sexual interest ... and he has memorialised it. And that is the ultimate triumph of the defendant over Grace Milllane. His trophy photo."

"He has manually manipulated her to take these photographs," he tells the jury, photos in hand.

 

[Kikixxxx]

4:00pm - Court has resumed with Brookie moving to discuss environmental evidence.

He notes that photos of the Luminol testing may appear to show a large glow, indicating a lot of blood on the hotel floor. However, he says forensic scientist Dianne Crenfeldt said blood may have been picked up in cleaning liquid and smeared around the room, making it look like there was more blood.

"Don't think… that when you see luminol reactions like this, that this is the original position of the blood."

Brookie says the amount of blood in the room could not be determined.

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Crown, defence present closing statements

 

[sunnynz]

A few "little scratches" on his hand could have come from anything, he tells the jury.

Grace Millane murder trial: Crown and defence sum up the case

Yeah like tramping through the bush with a heavy suitcase and a shovel and digging and hole in the dirt??

 

[Kikixxxx]

4:06pm - Another point the defence lawyer speaks on is the position of Millane's body. He says a diagram drawn by the accused - now lost by police - shows the body in a position that would not have been in the way of the accused walking from the shower to the bed.

Brookie says it was also dark enough that the accused may not have seen her.

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Crown, defence present closing statements

 

[Kikixxxx]

Defence lawyer Ian Brookie continues after the break.

There is no environmental evidence from the CityLife room where Grace died that is inconsistent with what the accused told police, he says.

Blood found in the apartment was discovered using luminol, which glows when blood is present.

However, forensic expert Dianne Crenfeldt said the bloodstain revealed by the luminol was consistent with the cleaning up of only a small amount of blood.

Brookie said: "We asked her if it was consistent with, as the accused said, there being a little bit of blood on the floor that he cleaned up."

Crenfeldt agreed everything she saw was consistent with that account, Brookie said.

The evidence found in the accused's room matches what he told police, lawyer Ian Brookie said.
Grace Millane murder trial: Crown and defence sum up the case

 

[Mariposa]

Alright Mr Brookie it’s getting close to bedtime in America, wrap it up

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Alright Mr Brookie it’s getting close to bedtime in America, wrap it up

LOL

 

[Kikixxxx]

I’m bored of this closing speech... I was so engaged with the prosecutions. Does anyone else feel like he’s planting any seed of doubt so far? I really don’t. I’ll be completely shocked if this isn’t a guilty verdict by early next week...