Two people have been found guilty of Christchurch woman Angela Blackmoore in 1995.
Rebecca Wright-Meldrum and David Hawken were found guilty of Blackmoore's murder after a five-week jury trial in Christchurch's High Court.
A third person, Jeremy Powell was convicted in 2020 after confessing to carrying out the murder, in which he implicated the two accused.
For 28 years, Hawken and Wright-Meldrum escaped accountability over the murder of Blackmoore – but today the great escape came to an end.
"Police focus from the outset was that whoever was responsible for this was someone who knew her," Crown Prosecutor Pip Currie said during closing agreements.
Blackmoore was murdered on August 17, 1995, in her home. In 2019, Powell confessed to carrying out the murder and implicated the two accused.
Powell alleged he had been helped by his then-girlfriend Wright-Meldrum and was ordered to kill Blackmoore by Hawken, a former debt collector who wanted to receive financial benefit from her property.
However, during the trial, he admitted he had lied about the case before.
The Defence Counsels argued Powell's evidence was unreliable and there wasn't sufficient evidence to convict their clients.
"Where's the proof beyond reasonable doubt? If it's not there, you must acquit," Hawken's Defence Counsel Anne Stevens KC said.
"You are being asked to convict this woman for the murder of her friend without any obvious motive, none," Wright-Meldrum's Defence Counsel Philip Shamy said.
Ultimately, the jury of eight women and four men didn't agree, finding both accused guilty of their part in the murder after hours of deliberations.
When the verdicts were read out, Blackmoore's partner Laurie Anderson had a large smile on his face.
Outside of court, Anderson told reporters he felt "fantastic" as he knew that fateful day 28 years ago that Hawkens was responsible.
"I always knew Hawkens was involved in Angela's murder that night. He is a two-bit con artist looking how to steal and trick people by giving false promises," Anderson said.
"When Angela insisted on seeing the money first, he decided it would be better to plan to kill her, knowing she was pregnant, alone and having no chance to live. Just showing how sick a man he is, just a coward."
Moving on to Wright-Meldrum he said she was jealous of Blackmoore.
"Rebecca saw herself as a jilted lover that was jealous of Angela for finding a better life and she was still in the same shithole she had ever been," Anderson said.
"She resorted to murdering her old best friend."
Anderson spent four weeks listening to the "two parasites from society" but that didn't phase him.
"I already knew what they were. I've dealt with con artists, sluts in my life," he said.
However, while he is "very happy" with the result Anderson doesn't believe it's the end just yet, alluding that "more will come out later".
"It's like a dominoes. We got one, we got two, we got three and now I'm after four," he said.
"I'm a dog with a bone – I'm getting all the bastards."
Newshub has contacted police to see whether or not they are seeking a fourth person in relation to Blackmoore's murder.
The police acknowledged the verdict on Friday.
"Police have tirelessly sought to bring justice to Angela and her family since her death nearly 30 years ago," Detective Sergeant Todd Hamilton said outside of court.
"The outcome today doesn't bring her back, but we hope it gives her family some closure."
Wright-Meldrum and Hawken will be sentenced next year.
