Post by sparrow on Feb 5, 2009 8:50:30 GMT 12
Killed himself apparently:
www.stuff.co.nz/4838288a11.html
Killer Antonie Dixon dies in prison
By MARK STEVENS and MICHAEL FIELD - Stuff.co.nz | Thursday, 05 February 2009
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PRISON DEATH: Antonie Dixon has died in Paremoremo Prison.
INSANITY PLEA: Antonie Dixon during his 2005 trial.
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BREAKING NEWS: Samurai sword attacker and convicted killer Antonie Dixon has died in Paremoremo Prison just hours before he was due in court for sentencing.
A source confirmed to Stuff.co.nz that Dixon - a convicted murderer - was dead, and said no one else was being sought in connection with his death.
Dixon, 40, attacked Simonne Butler and Renee Gunbie with a samurai sword in Pipiroa near Thames on January 22, 2003, and murdered James Te Aute in Auckland the same night. He was high on the drug P.
In 2005, Dixon was convicted of charges, including murder, kidnapping and using a firearm against a police officer.
His defence had been that he was insane when he attacked Butler and Gunbie before driving to Auckland where he shot dead Te Aute with 10 bullets in his back. He took a hostage before giving himself up to police after a standoff.
However, the insanity defence was was always challenged by police who called Dixon a "gold-plated psychopath". Prosecutors accepted Dixon had a severe personality disorder and suffered from paranoia but maintained he knew what he was doing when he committed the crimes while under the influence of methamphetamines.
In Pipiroa, Dixon's increasing paranoia had exploded into rage when he hacked at Gunbie and ex-girlfriend Butler with a samurai sword - slashing at them until their hands were severed. The chopping stopped only because the sword broke.
It took a team of surgeons 27 hours to delicately reattach Butler's hands but Gunbie's hand couldn't be saved and she's lucky to be alive.
The Court of Appeal quashed the convictions in 2007, ruling the judge had erred in the summing-up of the case. In August last year, after a second jury trial, Dixon was again found guilty on the eight charges he faced.
Dixon was due to be resentenced in Auckland this morning.
His death comes just weeks after another prison incident involving Dixon. The Sunday News reported that Dixon had pulled a "makeshift weapon" on his own lawyer - Barry Hart - during a meeting at Auckland Central Remand Prison on January 17.
"Staff supervising the meeting between the prisoner and his lawyer saw the prisoner get agitated, and attempt to remove what they believed to be a makeshift weapon from his shoe," a Corrections spokeswoman said at the time.
Dixon's lawyer Barry Hart told the Sunday News that "[Dixon] has some major mental issues at the moment".
"The issues have deteriorated," he said.
The drama was the second time Dixon was reported to be involved in an incident with a weapon inside prison. In December, 2007, Dixon used a fork to try to gouge out the eye of another prisoner, who required hospitalisation.
Dixon had been jailed at least 14 times and had almost 160 prior convictions - predominately for theft and burglary.
During the 2007 Appeal Court hearing, Hart said Dixon had suffered a horrendous upbringing. As a child he was tied to a clothesline, could only bark like a dog, and showed paranoid behaviour over several years.
www.stuff.co.nz/4838288a11.html
Killer Antonie Dixon dies in prison
By MARK STEVENS and MICHAEL FIELD - Stuff.co.nz | Thursday, 05 February 2009
Email a Friend | Printable View | Have Your Say
PRISON DEATH: Antonie Dixon has died in Paremoremo Prison.
INSANITY PLEA: Antonie Dixon during his 2005 trial.
Related Links
Subscribe to Archivestuff
Have your say
Advertisement
Advertisement
BREAKING NEWS: Samurai sword attacker and convicted killer Antonie Dixon has died in Paremoremo Prison just hours before he was due in court for sentencing.
A source confirmed to Stuff.co.nz that Dixon - a convicted murderer - was dead, and said no one else was being sought in connection with his death.
Dixon, 40, attacked Simonne Butler and Renee Gunbie with a samurai sword in Pipiroa near Thames on January 22, 2003, and murdered James Te Aute in Auckland the same night. He was high on the drug P.
In 2005, Dixon was convicted of charges, including murder, kidnapping and using a firearm against a police officer.
His defence had been that he was insane when he attacked Butler and Gunbie before driving to Auckland where he shot dead Te Aute with 10 bullets in his back. He took a hostage before giving himself up to police after a standoff.
However, the insanity defence was was always challenged by police who called Dixon a "gold-plated psychopath". Prosecutors accepted Dixon had a severe personality disorder and suffered from paranoia but maintained he knew what he was doing when he committed the crimes while under the influence of methamphetamines.
In Pipiroa, Dixon's increasing paranoia had exploded into rage when he hacked at Gunbie and ex-girlfriend Butler with a samurai sword - slashing at them until their hands were severed. The chopping stopped only because the sword broke.
It took a team of surgeons 27 hours to delicately reattach Butler's hands but Gunbie's hand couldn't be saved and she's lucky to be alive.
The Court of Appeal quashed the convictions in 2007, ruling the judge had erred in the summing-up of the case. In August last year, after a second jury trial, Dixon was again found guilty on the eight charges he faced.
Dixon was due to be resentenced in Auckland this morning.
His death comes just weeks after another prison incident involving Dixon. The Sunday News reported that Dixon had pulled a "makeshift weapon" on his own lawyer - Barry Hart - during a meeting at Auckland Central Remand Prison on January 17.
"Staff supervising the meeting between the prisoner and his lawyer saw the prisoner get agitated, and attempt to remove what they believed to be a makeshift weapon from his shoe," a Corrections spokeswoman said at the time.
Dixon's lawyer Barry Hart told the Sunday News that "[Dixon] has some major mental issues at the moment".
"The issues have deteriorated," he said.
The drama was the second time Dixon was reported to be involved in an incident with a weapon inside prison. In December, 2007, Dixon used a fork to try to gouge out the eye of another prisoner, who required hospitalisation.
Dixon had been jailed at least 14 times and had almost 160 prior convictions - predominately for theft and burglary.
During the 2007 Appeal Court hearing, Hart said Dixon had suffered a horrendous upbringing. As a child he was tied to a clothesline, could only bark like a dog, and showed paranoid behaviour over several years.
