After eight weeks spanning three calendar months, jurors in the strange and salacious – and more often than not riveting – Philip Polkinghorne murder trial will finally start deliberating.
It was expected the group would retire to begin the process late today, after spending the entire morning listening to the final half of the defence closing address and over two hours this afternoon receiving directions from Justice Graham Lang as he summed up the case. But the judge instead sent the group home at 4.30, instructing them to return to the High Court at Auckland at 10am tomorrow to begin the process.
Jurors are tasked with sifting through the evidence of more than 80 Crown and defence witnesses whose individual trips to the witness box spanned from 10 minutes to four days.
Of the roughly dozen reporters from all major New Zealand media outlets who attended the trial, nearly half were sent by ¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ and the Herald. Between three and five Herald journalists followed the trial each day and generated more than 100 reports, focusing on live updates, twice daily summaries of the proceedings, a podcast, columns and longer form stories yet to come. Put together, the reports make the most comprehensive publically available review of the case to date.
Here’s a look back at how the trial progressed. Just click into the link and you can read the midday and evening wraps of what happened each of day, along with an opinion piece from Steve Braunias.
Week One: July 29-Aug 2
Monday (Day 1)
Tuesday (Day 2)
Wednesday (Day 3)
Thursday (Day 4)
Friday (Day 5)
Week Two: Aug 5-Aug 9
Monday (Day 6)
Tuesday (Day 7)
Wednesday (Day 8)
Thursday (Day 9)
Friday (Day 10)
Week Three: Aug 12-Aug 16
Monday (Day 11)
Tuesday (Day 12)
Wednesday (Day 13)
Thursday (Day 14)
Friday (Day 15)
Week Four: Aug 19-Aug 23
Monday
no court
Tuesday (Day 16)
Wednesday (Day 17)
Thursday (Day 18)
Friday (Day 19)
Week Five: Aug 26-Aug 30
Monday (Day 20)
Tuesday (Day 21)
Wednesday (Day 22)
Thursday
no court
Friday (Day 23)
Week Six: Sept 2-Sept 6
Monday (Day 24)
Tuesday (Day 25)
Wednesday (Day 26)
Thursday
no court
Friday (Day 27)
Week Seven: Sept 9-Sept 13
Monday
Tuesday (Day 28)
Wednesday (Day 29)
Thursday (Day 30)
Friday (Day 31)
Week Eight: Sept 16 - Sept 18
Monday (Day 32)
Tuesday (Day 33)
Wednesday (Day 34)
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