Man admits to wife’s murder after 13 YEARS of denial
Content warning: This story contains mentions of domestic violence and assault.
A New Zealand man who has denied murdering his wife for almost 13 years has stunned the victim’s family and the Parole Board by admitting he deliberately shot her at close range.
Helen Meads was working in the stables at the property she shared with her husband Greg on September 23, 2009, when she was shot by him.
She had been chatting with a friend on the phone and had said goodbye just seconds before she died.
It was also four days after she told Mr Meads she wanted to end their 12-year marriage that had been punctuated by acts of domestic violence.
When he confronted her and took her life, their three children and her parents were left devastated.
Mr Meads pleaded not guilty to murder, saying he had accidentally pulled the trigger and that a conviction of manslaughter would be more appropriate.
The jury rejected his claim and convicted him of murder, for which he received a life sentence with a minimum of 11 years before he would be eligible for parole.
When he came up for parole last year, the Board refused to release him early as they felt Mr Meads - who still claimed he wasn’t guilty - was still a risk to the public.
Mr Meads appeared before the Parole Board again on Tuesday, as reported by the NZ Herald.
After talking in circles and being told to speak directly by board members, he finally had a clear answer.
“I killed Helen, I was the person who pulled the trigger and I am fully responsible for her death,” he said.
“Yes it was a deliberate act, I raised the gun and I pulled the trigger.”
Mr Meads also admitted to physically assaulting Helen and being abusive during their marriage.
He initially claimed that the change to his story came after he had “quite a lot of time to go through the incident” on his own and with his psychiatrist.
“What brought about this change?” Parole Board chairman Sir Ron Young probed.
“You’ve told untruths for 13 years, why should we rely on what you’re telling us now when for the past 13 years it’s been a lie?
“You didn’t wake up this morning and go ‘oh, that’s right, I pulled the trigger’.”
Mr Meads claimed he had “probably avoided” revisiting the moment until the night before the hearing.
“I have come to terms with the fact that when I had my hand on the gun it was a voluntary act and I’ve pulled the trigger,” he suggested.
“It’s not an accident, I admit that now. It is a change.
“I think it was deliberate that I grabbed the trigger and that was the end of Helen’s life.”
When pressed by the board, Mr Meads conceded he hadn’t discussed the matter in depth with his psychiatrist and that he had decided to take responsibility within the past 12-24 hours.
Sir Ron said it was “worrying” that his admission was so sudden and “expressed concern about the genuineness” of it.
“But if it is [genuine], good on you,” he said.
“It is a very serious charge, but assuming it is genuine, it’s a positive change.”
After speaking with Mr Mead for half an hour, during which time he shared his safety plan that failed to mention how he would cope around firearms, the board said it was clear he wasn’t ready to be released.
Sir Ron said Mr Mead’s new admission signified that he had much more work to do with his psychiatrist and on his safety plan.
He was refused parole and will not appear before the board again until April 2023.
Image: New Zealand Herald