Woman accused of killing mum spent $155K on crypto in a year
The Crown says murder-accused Julia DeLuney used money from her mother to pay off credit card debt and invest further in crypto-currency.
DeLuney is on trial for the murder of her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory, who died at her home in the Wellington suburb of Khandallah in January last year, a crime which she denies.
Two days before her mother's death, DeLuney sent her an email saying a sum of money she had invested six months ago on her mother's behalf had made a large profit - more than $268,000 - and she recommended they cash out.
She said in order to do that, she needed $30,000 for withdrawal fees and tax liability, and asked her mother to cover half.
The court heard on Monday from a cryptocurrency expert those fees were "totally false", and a common scam.
The court also heard DeLuney used a screenshot of someone else's crypto account to show her mother a graph of her profits.
But her mother set about finding $15,000. She had $6000 in cash, which the Crown heard from a bank teller she deposited into her daughters account on 23 January.
Then, the court was played a phone call between Gregory and her bank in which she withdrew more from her Kiwisaver, sending a further $9000 to DeLuney's bank account.
Those payments appear on DeLuney's statement with the reference: JULIAFROMMUM.
Then, her bank statements show she used that money to pay off credit card debt, buy a Lotto ticket, make payments to SkyTV, Afterpay and Mitre10, and invested about $2000 in crypto-currency.
Financial analyst Eric Huang told the court his analysis of DeLuney's financial records, excluding cash deposits, showed she had spent more than she earned in the year before her mother's death, the High Court heard on Tuesday.
Huang told the court records showed between 1 January, 2023 and 25 January, 2024 - the day after her mother's death - she spent more than $155,000 on crypto-currency investments.
That totalled 47 percent of her income.
Huang said in that same period, she received more than $92,000 from friends and family, primarily her mother and father.
Her earnings from crypto currency, at least the ones which passed through her bank accounts, were outweighed by her investments; by January 2024, she was $68,000 in the red.
Huang said his analysis had shown she spent a "significant amount" on Afterpay purchases, totalling $39,000, on travel and accommodation, totalling $5736, and on personal beauty services like hair and nails, totalling $4339.
She did not meet her minimum repayments on her credit card three months out of 12.
The Crown said DeLuney attacked her mother before staging it to look like she had fallen from the attic, a crime which was potentially financially motivated.
But the defence claims someone else caused those injuries in the 90 minutes in which she had gone to get help.
The trial is expected to continue into next week.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Call for more speed cameras on 'rollercoaster road'
By Natalie Akoorie of RNZ Three people killed in the crash on a notorious Waikato road were a woman and two children. They died on Tuesday when the car they were in left Masters Rd, near Waiuku, and landed in a nearby creek. Counties Manukau South Area Commander Inspector Jared Pirret said all three occupants were found deceased at the scene. "This incident will impact the tight-knit community in Waiuku, and I know people's thoughts are with the families caught up in this event." He acknowledged local staff who arrived at what he said was a very confronting scene. "All emergency services deployed to the scene and worked together to carry out a rescue operation, and we acknowledge their professionalism." Police confirmed those who died were an adult and two children. The local community is said to be devastated after the deaths on the road locally known as 'The Rollercoaster'. Billy McLean was in his workshop in Masters Rd when he heard an impact that sounded like a car going off the road. "It's not the first time I've heard it. It's not the first time it's happened here. "I knew what it was straight away and just ran straight down there to find the car upside down in the ditch, unfortunately." McLean, a conservation arborist, said the ditch was a deep culvert located in a dip at the bottom of a hill with wetlands on either side. "I tried my best to get them out and there was absolutely no way that that car was going to open. "There's not much anyone could have done. "Being pinned upside down in mud that was so deep. It was like, a little bit of the bottom of the door and the chassis and the wheels exposed and the rest of the whole vehicle in mud. "There's not a hundred gorillas that could have torn the doors off that car ... I tried. I tried my best but I'm not a hundred gorillas either." McLean raced back up his driveway to call 111. He said police were first on the scene within minutes and also tried and failed to get into the SUV. After that the Waiuku Volunteer Fire Brigade arrived. McLean said the chassis on the SUV was bent and he believes the car hit the culvert at his driveway and became airborne. The 80km/h road is an alternative route to get to Pukekohe and the crash happened at 3.30pm between Waiuku and Kidd roads. McLean said it had been raining but had stopped by the time he heard the impact. He said it was the second time in as many years there had been a fatal crash on the road, the first one killing his best mate of 40 years and father-of-six Daniel Dalgety in August 2023. In that crash, McLean said the car Dalgety was a passenger in hit a tree and he was again first on the scene to discover his friend's death. Since then he had been scared for his own family's safety when using the road. "Honestly I fear that, every time I pull out of this driveway with my family now." He said he was considering selling his home and he wanted action from road authorities. "Do something. Do something ... If they could start focusing those speed cameras on actual known death-trap sites, instead of some random corner or at the bottom of a pretty safe downhill where they're just getting as much revenue as they can. "Could they please put those cameras where it would save people's lives instead of just collecting their tax. "That would be a great start. This place here would be a good start." He described the area where Tuesday's crash happened as being akin to an "old-school BMX jump". "It's been known for years out here as 'The Rollercoaster Road'." Neighbour and resident on the road for four decades, Jonathan Kuttner, also referred to Masters Rd as a death-trap and said he had been to a dozen crashes since the road was straightened many years ago. Kuttner, a former GP, said there was a dangerous dip and bend in the road where speeding cars could fly off and land in a bog. He said he had raised concerns with various authorities over the years and was also calling for a speed camera on the road. Kuttner said drivers often used the road to speed and he had been privy to many serious crashes and a number of close calls near his home. It was so dangerous he would only turn left out of his driveway. Franklin ward councillor Andy Baker said he was aware the "well-used back road" could be dangerous but said it fell within the Waikato boundary. He said Waiuku, a rural town of about 6000 people, would be heavily impacted by the tragedy. "Everyone knows everyone. The whole town will just be reeling, no matter who it is. There'll be so many different parts of the community affected by it. It's a terrible thing." It was unclear if Tuesday's victims were from Waiuku but it was believed they were members of the same family. In a statement shortly after 6pm yesterday, police said next-of-kin had been notified. "We acknowledge that this is tragic news for the tight-knit community in Waiuku." The Serious Crash Unit was investigating.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
What would happen if a KiwiSaver provider failed?
There is always the risk that investments could go wrong, but KiwiSaver schemes do have some protections in place. File photo. Photo: 123rf Some Australian investors may be facing the loss of their investments after the failure of a superannuation provider, but KiwiSaver members are being reassured that the situation is different here. Australian media has reported that up to A$450 million may have been lost by the First Guardian Master Fund, which went into liquidation early this year. Co-director David Anderson was reported to be accused of transferring funds into his own bank account. David Callanan, general manager of corporate trustee services at Public Trust, one of the supervisors of New Zealand's KiwiSaver schemes, said there were different protections for KiwiSaver members, which should prevent such a scenario. Providers are subject to oversight from a supervisor, who can also choose to appoint a third-party custodian or act as custodian themselves. "I think we've got a more effective regulatory regime. It's set up really well to protect KiwiSaver members and investors." He said the supervisor was "effectively a trustee". "We're in place to ensure that KiwiSaver providers are doing the right thing for investors. If there was an issue with a KiwiSaver provider then the supervisor would be able to step in and take control back and come up with a solution." He said that could involve appointing another manager if necessary. "We have the power to step in and to take control back in the interests of those investors." He said, because there were a limited number of independent supervisors, they were closely regulated by the Financial Markets Authority. "In Australia there are hundreds of responsible entities who play that role." Callanan said if a fund manager was failing it would not be able to access investor funds. "That's another area that in those scenarios that I've seen in Australia hasn't worked. You've got fund managers just dipping into investor monies, you know, to go and buy a Lamborghini or whatever they feel like on a whim. "That just couldn't happen here because we've got independent custodians and again, Public Trust is an independent custodian for a number of KiwiSaver providers, and that can give investors confidence." He said there was also a strong conflict of interest regime in place. "Even for fund managers who might undertake what is called a related party transaction…the Financial Markets Conduct Act stipulates the process they have to go through to work with their supervisor to get that transaction across the line." But that does not mean you can not lose money in KiwiSaver. Callanan said there was always the risk that investments could go wrong and financial markets might not perform as expected. "But if you're with a KiwiSaver provider in New Zealand you can have confidence that there's a mechanism in place in the supervisors that if something was to go wrong with that manager, the supervisor would step in and stop you falling down the metaphorical cliff. "There's always the possibility that someone makes a silly financial decision or you could pick an investment that's really bad. My advice would be to avoid a situation where you have all your eggs in one basket." He said that could only happen with the KiwiSaver schemes that allow people to choose their own investments. "Most KiwiSaver providers are offering these diversified products and you can be really confident you've going to get a good outcome because you've spread your risk in an appropriate way." Financial Markets Authority director of markets, investors and reporting John Horner said the law prescribed the segregation of duties in relation to managed investment schemes. "Generally, while the manager of the scheme is responsible for investment decisions , the custodian is responsible for holding and safeguarding the scheme property - segregation of legal ownership - and for keeping records of the scheme property - segregation of functions. Supervisors licensed by the FMA are responsible for custody. Depending on the scheme's governing documents, a supervisor may appoint another appropriate independent person as custodian. "MIS managers and supervisors are obliged to act with care, diligence and skill. MIS managers are expected to maintain strong capital positions, professional indemnity insurance, parent company guarantees or other similar arrangements. Managers are also required to notify the supervisor if they are, or are likely to become, insolvent. The supervisor is responsible for monitoring the manager's performance of its functions and obligations, as well as its financial position. "In the event that the fund manager becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to continue operations, the supervisor has the power to appoint a temporary manager to ensure the continued management and operation of the fund until a permanent replacement is appointed." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Waiuku residents call for more speed cameras following fatal Masters Road crash
Three people died following a crash on Masters Road, near Waiuku, on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi A resident of a notorious road known as "The Rollercoaster" has told of the moment he came across a car upside down in water next to his driveway. Three people died on Tuesday when the car they were in left Masters Road, near Waiuku and came to rest in a nearby creek. Billy McLean was in his workshop on Masters Road when he heard an impact that sounded like a car going off the road. "It's not the first time I've heard it. It's not the first time it's happened here. "I knew what it was straight away and just ran straight down there to find the car upside down in the ditch, unfortunately." McLean, a conservation arborist, said the ditch was a deep culvert located in a dip at the bottom of a hill with wetlands on either side. "I tried my best to get them out and there was absolutely no way that that car was going to open. "There's not much anyone could have done. "Being pinned upside down in mud that was so deep. It was like, a little bit of the bottom of the door and the chassis and the wheels exposed and the rest of the whole vehicle in mud. "There's not a hundred gorillas that could have torn the doors off that car ... I tried. I tried my best but I'm not a hundred gorillas either." McLean raced back up his driveway to call 111. He said police were first on the scene within minutes and also tried and failed to get into the SUV. After that the Waiuku Volunteer Fire Brigade arrived. Emergency services at the scene of the Masters Road crash. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi McLean said the chassis on the SUV was bent and he believes the car hit the culvert at his driveway and became airborne. The 80 kilometre an hour road is an alternative route to get to Pukekohe and the crash happened at 3.30pm between Waiuku and Kidd roads. McLean said it had been raining but had stopped by the time he heard the impact. He said it was the second time in as many years there had been a fatal crash on the road, the first one killing his best mate of 40 years and father-of-six Daniel Dalgety in August 2023. In that crash, McLean said the car Dalgety was a passenger in hit a tree and he was again first on the scene to discover his friend's death. Since then he had been scared for his own family's safety when using the road. "Honestly I fear that, every time I pull out of this driveway with my family now." He said he was considering selling his home and he wanted action from road authorities. "Do something. Do something ... If they could start focusing those speed cameras on actual known death-trap sites, instead of some random corner or at the bottom of a pretty safe downhill where they're just getting as much revenue as they can. "Could they please put those cameras where it would save people's lives instead of just collecting their tax. "That would be a great start. This place here would be a good start." He described the area where Tuesday's crash happened as being akin to an "old-school BMX jump". "It's been known for years out here as 'The Rollercoaster Road'." Billy McLean says the stretch of road is a known hazard. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Neighbour and resident on the road for four decades, Jonathan Kuttner, also referred to Masters Road as a death-trap and said he had been to a dozen crashes since the road was straightened many years ago. Kuttner, a former GP, said there was a dangerous dip and bend in the road where speeding cars could fly off and land in a bog. He said he had raised concerns with various authorities over the years and was also calling for a speed camera on the road. Kuttner said drivers often used the road to speed and he had been privy to many serious crashes and a number of close calls near his home. It was so dangerous he would only turn left out of his driveway, he said. Franklin ward councillor Andy Baker said he was aware the "well-used back road" could be dangerous but said it fell within the Waikato boundary. He said Waiuku, a rural town of about 6000 people, would be heavily impacted by the tragedy. "Everyone knows everyone. The whole town will just be reeling, no matter who it is. There'll be so many different parts of the community affected by it. It's a terrible thing." It was unclear if the victims were from Waiuku but it was believed they were members of the same family. In a statement shortly after 6pm on Tuesday, police said next-of-kin had been notified. "We acknowledge that this is tragic news for the tight-knit community in Waiuku." The Serious Crash Unit was investigating. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
