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Anonymous
Posted Jun 13, 2009 11:12 AM
Five found guilty in NZ exorcism case
June 13, 2009 - 7:38AM
Cries rang out in an emotion-filled New Zealand courtroom after a jury found five members of the family of a 14-year-old guilty of her manslaughter during a curse-lifting ceremony.
During a six-week trial, the Wellington court was told the family believed the girl, Janet Moses, had been possessed by demons since two other family members stole a concrete lion-statue from a hotel in Greytown, in Wairarapa.
The family performed an exorcism on Ms Moses in October 2007, forcing water into her mouth and eyes to flush out demons and lift the hex.
She drowned, and her eyes were injured as people picked at the demons they saw in them.
The Crown argued Ms Moses had an emerging mental illness.
The jury returned its verdicts after around 17 hours of deliberation.
Those found guilty in the High Court at Wellington were remanded on bail for sentencing on August 14.
They are John Tahana Rawiri, 49; Tanginoa Apanui, 42; Angela Orupe, 36; Aroha Gwendoline Wharepapa, 48; and Glenys Lynette Wright, 52.
As the verdicts were read out, family and supporters wept. Amid chaos outside the courtroom, people were shouting and wailing, and there was hostility towards media and lawyers.
One family member shouted the "law stands for lies", the Dominion Post reported.
Charlie Moses, Janet's paternal grandfather, told the newspaper before the verdicts were delivered, that the end of the case, no matter what the outcome, would let her spirit find peace.
"At least when they get the verdict she'll be at peace. Then we can get on with our lives, all of us."
© 2009 NZPA |
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