Today in History

1963 Bassett Road machine-gun murders

The bullet-ridden bodies of Frederick George Walker and Kevin James Speight were found in a ransacked house at 115 Bassett Road, Remuera. A team of 32 Auckland detectives began an immediate search that led to the capture of Ron Jorgensen and John Gillies on New Year's Eve.

Frederick Walker was a 38-year-old commercial traveller. Kevin Speight, 26 at the time, was a seaman. Police concluded early in the investigation that the two victims were also sly groggers, traders in illegal alcohol. The bootleg booze trade was a hot part of the Auckland criminal underground, and investigators believed it to be a key to the motive for the murders.

When their bodies were found, the coroners concluded that they had been dead for two or three days. It was suggested that the murder weapon was a .45 calibre machine gun.

The man leading the police investigation was Detective Chief Inspector Robert Walton, who was to be Commissioner of Police from 1978 to 1983.

The first major lead came when future Prime Minister Robert Muldoon introduced Walton to a man he believed could assist with the case. It was this man who first pinpointed John Gillies as a possible suspect. Although Gillies initially refused to answer questions, police work soon established a link between him and Jorgensen. The latter was unaware he was under investigation until his arrest on 31 December. Gillies was arrested the same day.

Their trial began on 24 February 1964. Although both men denied the charges against them, Gillies did admit in court to having purchased a machine gun. After four hours of deliberation, the jury found Jorgensen and Gillies guilty; the pair were each sentenced to life imprisonment.

Jorgensen came to public attention again in 1984, following his release from prison, when his abandoned car was found at the bottom of a cliff near Kaikoura. His body was never found, though he was declared dead in 1998. Rumours abounded about his location, with many believing he had become a police informant in Australia. His fate remains unknown.

Image: Ron Jorgensen (TVNZ)