Indefensible: The Murder of Sophie Elliot

On January 9th 2008, a woman in New Zealand called 111, the emergency services line. While on the call she can be heard desperately trying to open her daughters locked bedroom door. She can hear a rhythmic thumping sound from the room and she is panicking. She manages to open it and screams “He’s killed her!” before the door can be heard slamming shut.
The case highlighted the outdated legal defence of provocation, and brought much needed change to the country.

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All of our sources are available on crimelapsepodcast.com, special thank you to Fern and Emily G Thompson for their help on this episode.

Episode Transcript

(00:14):
Welcome to Crime Laps. I amI Ling and I'm Charlie. On the
coast of the South Island of NewZealand, sits a small city that is
referred to as the country's own Edinburgh. It's a stunning place to live,
with inhabitants from all over the globe, residing amongst rolling hills and a beautiful
harbor. Although it's now a modern, bustling city, it's managed to retain

(00:38):
its Victorian charm and is home toNew Zealand's oldest university, the University of
Otago. In two thousand and eight, a graduate of the university was brutally
murdered before she was due to starther new life. The case highlighted the
outdated legal defense of provocation and broughtmuch needed change to the country. On

(01:07):
January ninth, the two thousand andeight, a woman called one one one,
the emergency services line. While onthe call, she can be heard
desperately trying to open her daughter's lockedbedroom door. She can hear a rhythmic
thumping sound from inside of the roomand she's panicking. She manages to open
it and screams he's killed her.Before the door can be heard slamming shut

(01:34):
The cool handler told her to leavethe house, which she did, only
making it to the end of thedrive before she collapsed in despair. Constable
John Cunningham was the first officer onthe scene of what he initially thought to
be a domestic dispute. Outside thehouse, he saw the woman who had

(01:55):
called one one one hysterically crying onthe driveway. As a woman cried out
the herd was killed in her bedroomand the man who did it was still
there, Consortable Cunningham wasted no timein running straight inside and upstairs. He
identified himself and told the person tounlock the door or he would kick it
in. Then he heard the doorbeing unlocked. As he opened the door

(02:16):
and stepped inside, he could seethe body of a young woman on the
floor. She was covered in blood. The room was drenched in blood,
and juxtaposed next to the chaotic scenestood a calm man Comsortable Cunningham asked him
what he'd done, and he simplysaid, I killed her. He complied

(02:37):
with the officer's order till I facedown on the floor and was asked why
he'd killed her. He said theemotional pain she's caused me over the past
year. He told the officer he'dused a knife and that it probably was
underneath the victim. The officer sawa pair of scissors between the woman's legs,
and her killer said I used themat the end. Outside of the

(03:02):
house, paramedics and other emergency responderswere rushing to see what could be done.
The man, now handcuffed, wasasked whose blood was all over his
arms, legs and face, andhe replied, a little bit of mine,
mostly hers. He was then askedwho he'd killed, and he said
it's Sophie Kate Elliott. Eleventh ofJune nineteen eighty five. The dead end

(03:25):
street was now filling up with policecars and Saint John's ambulances. The first
paramedic who went inside came back outshortly after. Nothing could be done.
Sophie Eliot was dead, and hermother, Leslie, had witnessed it all.
Sophie was the youngest child of Leslieand Gil Elliott. She was adored
by her older brothers, Nick andChris, both of whom were living in

(03:47):
Australia, and she was about toembark on her own journey, flying the
nest. She had lived at homein Ravensbourn, dun Edin. Her father
worked away a lot managing the medicaldiagnostic laboratory in Dunstonital, almost two hundred
kilometers away, and she was exceptionallyclose to her mother, who worked as
a neonatal nurse at Dunidin Hospital.Sophie had always been intelligent. There was

(04:14):
a bit of an age gap betweenher and her brother's, so she was
usually around people older than her andhad no trouble keeping up. When she
left secondary school in two thousand andthree, her principal, Christine Leighton,
said, Sophie's energy is boundless.Her determination to do well is very strong,
as is her outstanding work ethic.Her independence of thought marks her maturity.

(04:39):
Sophie carried herself with confidence. Sheknew what she wanted from life and
she wasn't afraid to work hard toget it. The ethics instilled by her
parents were matched by her own learnedexperiences to make her into the person that
she was. She was a highachiever, a great answer, a good
singer, a talented photographer, anda fantastic daughter, student and friend.

(05:02):
She completed her studies at Otago Universityin two thousand and seven, obtaining a
first class honest degree. A resultof her hard work and tenacity. She'd
applied for a role as a graduateanalyst at the New Zealand Treasury, an
impressive job that she was offered almostimmediately. She was due to begin working
in January two thousand and eight inWellington. It was away from her hometown,

(05:27):
friends and family. It was afresh start, exactly what she needed.
In the summer of two thousand andseven, while in her final year,
Sophie began seeing someone, Clayton Weatherston, her economics tutor. Although he
was ten years her senior and didn'tseem to have much in common with Sophie,

(05:48):
she seemed happy. Her mother,Leslie, first heard about Weatherston when
she was getting ready to go withLeslie for her interviews in Wellington. Sophie
told her that one of her tutorshad offered to become up near her.
Leslie thought this was strange, butSophie thought it was a nice gesture.
She went with her mum anyway.Sophie had first begun seeing Weatherston a few

(06:09):
weeks earlier. She'd been working latein the university and Weatherston aster to go
for dinner. Already, there werered flags For Sophie's mother, the dynamic
between a tutor and a student shouldhardly be romantic, but Sophie assured her
that Clayton Weatherston had made sure therewould be no problems with the university.

(06:30):
Within the space of a few months, Sophie and Weatherston had broken up more
than a few times and reconciled justas money. Sophie was put off by
his selfishness. She told her motherthat during an evening walk, she told
him she was cold, hoping thathe would lend her his coat, as
a gentleman would, but he justsaid, I'd lend you my jacket,
but then I'd be cold. Heoften came across as arrogant, but not

(06:54):
many people saw any sign of aggression. Weatherston began berating Sophie and put her
down, insulting her looks, personality, and intelligence, all the while seeking
constant reassurance that he was the bestman she had ever been with. Her
self esteem began to plummet, andshe attended a counselor. She went on

(07:15):
holiday to Australia in November two thousandand seven with her friend Jessica and was
putting Weatherston out of her mind.She spent Christmas with her family, having
little contact with her ex, butshe had photographed his graduation. He had
recently gotten his PhD. She editedthe photos and mounted them in an album
and then delivered them to him.He seemed more interested in trying to seduce

(07:39):
Sophie than looking at the photos shehad kindly brought. She rejected him and
told him that she was moving toWellington and that they were over for good.
In a rage, he grabbed herand threw her onto his bed.
He held her throat and covered hermouth as he climbed on top of her
and screamed in her face. Terrifiedbut strong, she managed to fight him
off and ran out the door.Weatherston followed closely behind, and when she

(08:03):
got to her car, he pulledthe door open and shouted, when you
were flying back from Australia, Ihope the fucking claim would crash so you
would be killed. Sophie sped off, and at work she told her colleagues
what had happened. They urged herto report him to the police, but
she knew she would be moving toWellington a couple of weeks, so she
didn't feel like it was worth thehassle. On January seventh, two thousand

(08:26):
and eight, a few days beforeshe was due to leave, she stopped
by the university to give a giftto her supervisor. While walking through the
halls, Weatherston saw her and askedher to come into his office to talk.
Once there, he put his armsaround her, which made her visibly
nervous. When he asked her why, she told him it was because of

(08:46):
what he had done the previous week. When he asked what she meant,
she was furious and put her handon his mouth and tried to grab his
throat to demonstrate exactly what he haddone. He pushed her away, and
she told him that her friends andher mother had urged her to reported to
the police, and he replied thatshe had just assaulted him so he could
follow a complaint against her. Sheran out of the office and down the

(09:07):
stairs. Weatherstone was close behind andwas heard shouting by other staff members,
but no one came to see why. He shoved Sophie, almost causing her
to fall down the stairs, andtold her that he was trying to give
her his hate. She was distraught, and her mother tried to console her.
As they finished packing the last ofher belongings for her move to Wellington.

(09:30):
The following day, her car brokedown as she was on her way
to say goodbye to her friends,including her supervisor at the university, meaning
she will have a lot more todo. The next day, January ninth,
Sophie and her mother spent the morningbringing boxes of her belongings downstairs in
preparation for the removal van that wasdue to arrive that afternoon. Sophie had
been getting ready when she noticed hermother in tears. When she asked what

(09:54):
was wrong, Leslie told her thatshe would miss her so much. Sophie
promise she would visit regularly and hadalready planned to be home for Easter in
just a few months. At twelvefifteen pm, there was a knock at
the door. When Leslie answered it, she was greeted by a smiling Clayton
Weatherston, who told her he hadsomething for Sophie. Sophie, who was

(10:16):
always immaculately presented, came to thestairs to see who it was. Her
hair and makeup perfect. She waswearing a white shirt, a denim skirt
and a white card. Again,she hadn't been expecting to see Weatherston,
but agreed to speak with him whileshe was packing in her room. He
followed her upstairs, and Leslie waitedin the kitchen, not wanting to intrude,

(10:37):
but not feeling comfortable being out ofearshot after the way Weatherston had grabbed
her daughter a week or so previously. Sophie came downstairs within a few minutes
and told her mother that she didn'tknow what Weatherston wanted, as he had
just been sitting silently on her bed. Leslie told Sophie to get him to
leave so she could finish packing andget ready to go with her friends that

(10:58):
evening. She was supposed to bemeeting friends for pizza on the beach.
Sophie agreed and said he probably justwanted to leave things on good terms before
she went to Wellington. She wentback upstairs, not knowing that Weatherston was
hiding behind her bedroom door. Leslieheard the door slam shut, and Sophie
screamed, don't Clayton. She racedup the stairs and tried to get into

(11:20):
the room, but the door waslocked. She could hear a thumping sound
and assumed that Weatherston was raping Sophie. She ran down to the kitchen to
get a meat skewer which could beused to unlock the door from the outside,
and as she ran back, shedialed one one one. As she
struggled to get the door unlocked,she could still hear the thumping sound,

(11:41):
and as much as she feared herdaughter was being sexually assaulted, nothing could
have prepared her for what she saw. When she got the door open.
Clayton Weatherston was straddling Sophie's lifeless bodyon the floor, repeatedly stabbing her with
the knife in his right hand whilehe slammed the door shut with his left.
Police arrived shortly after and arrested ClaytonWeatherston. Leslie was distraught and alone

(12:05):
outside the house. She knew Sophiewas gone. The paramedics asked her to
go to the hospital, but sherefused, not wanting to be far from
her beloved daughter. Her friend andbrother came to be with her soon after.
Gil was still working away, sohe was called to the office by
the hospital CEO. Waiting for himwere two police officers who broke the horrific

(12:28):
news that his only daughter had beenkilled in her bedroom. He was driven
the two hour journey to be byhis wife's side by police officers. Leslie's
brother told their son Nick what hadhappened, and one of Chris's friends went
to tell him their home was nowa crime scene. Instead of meeting friends
at six pm as she had planned. Sophie's murder was the headline story on

(12:50):
the evening news. Reporters had linedthe police cordon, taking photographs of the
increasing police presents. As they collectedevidence, Leslie and Gil were sent to
a motel next to the police stationwhere their daughter's murderer was being held.
It was too much for them tobear, and they moved to a motel
further away, where they had tostay for the next few weeks. It

(13:13):
was here that they had to planSophie's funeral. Away from their home,
their comfort, the place where theyhad made memories with their daughter, they
were unable to get their clothes orbelongings until after on January fifteenth, Sophie
should have been settling into her newlife from Wellington. Her funeral service was
held in Saint Hilda's Collegiate School inDunedin. In the chapel. Sophie had

(13:39):
went to school there for seven yearsand achieved gray academic success, even becoming
joint proximit, excess it. Herbrother Chris played the piano and performed a
song the other side by David Gray. At the ceremony, the pews were
packed with people devastated by the untimelyloss of such an incredible young woman.
Among those who paid tribute to Sophywere longtime friends, former teachers, Principles

(14:03):
supervisors, and her heartbroken parents.Her blue casket, which had been painted
to depict scenes of mountains, wascarried by her brothers and four of her
friends. As she was brought out, the crowd released ninety nine red balloons
into the sky. A single redballoon was found in the school library,
and when it was released again,it managed to float back inside. Her

(14:26):
online obituary contains a poem titled theBroken Chain. It reads, we little
knew that day God was going tocall your name. In life, we
loved you dearly. In death wedo the same. It broke our hearts
to lose you. You did notgo alone, for part of us went
with you. The day God calledyou home. You left us beautiful memories.

(14:48):
Your love is still our guide,and although we cannot see you,
you are always at our side.Our family chain is broken and nothing seems
the same, but as God callsus one by one, the chain will
link again. Weatherston appeared in courtson January tenth, two thousand and eight,
and was charged with murder. Hewas remanded into custody and there was

(15:13):
a publication ban on his name.This was lifted a week later and he
was further remanded. A deposition datewas scheduled for May of that year.
In March, there was a memorialservice held at the University of Ortego's Marama
Hall. Tributes to Sophie were paidand it was announced that there would be

(15:35):
an annual economics price set up inher honor. A cherry blossom was planted
for Sophie, with a plaque bearingher name beneath it. Sophie never got
the chance to attend her own graduation, but her brother Chris was allowed to
accept her degree on her behalf.It was the first time in the universities
almost one hundred and forty year historythat a degree was awarded in person under

(15:58):
the scumstances, and Sophie's family feltvery grateful, adding that they were going
to have a large celebration because itwas what Sophie would have wanted. In
May, child proceedings began. Aninitial deposition was held over the course of
four days. Attorneys Marie Grills andRobin Bates were to represent the Crown prosecution,

(16:22):
with Judith Ablckare and Greg King thedefense counsel. Leslie Elliott was subpoena
to testify and so could not attendthe first arguments. The Crown prosecutor detailed
Sophie's murder and revealed for the firsttime to the court that she had been
stabbed at least two hundred and sixteentimes. Weatherstone would be pleading not guilty
with a defense of provocation, meaningthat he felt as though he was not

(16:45):
responsible for killing Sophie as he feltas though she had provoked him. Leslie
testified about the afternoon of the murder. She said that after she'd managed to
get inside of Sophie's bedroom, shefound Clayton on top of her, stabbing
her lifeless body. She stated hewas straddled across her legs and she had

(17:06):
blood around her neck. The wholeroom to me seemed like it was read.
She said that when she first heardher daughter screaming from the bedroom,
she'd feared that she was being raped. It never even crossed her mind that
she was being murdered. Clayton's defenseattorney, judithublic Care, asked Leslie about
the relationship between Sophie and Otago Universityeconomics lecturer Robert Alexander. Leslie said that

(17:30):
she considered Robert to be a mentorand a friend. A former girlfriend of
Clayton, whose identity was suppressed,had said that Clayton was obsessed with getting
a lectureship at the university and hadconfided in her that he felt as though
Sophie had said something to Robert,who was on the selection panel for the
position, and had ruined his chancesto get the job. This same ex

(17:51):
girlfriend said that Clayton was obsessive andhad a nasty demeanor, particularly while understress.
She also testified that Clayton had spokento her about his relation and ship
with Sophie. He had told herthat the relationship was negative and that Sophie
sucked his strength and was mean tohim at times. The ex girlfriend described
Clayton as hypersensitive, stating he wouldtake offense where others might be able to

(18:14):
deal with it. He gets offendedeasily and becomes distressed as someone thinking the
worst of him. The ex girlfriendsaid that she had spoken to Clayton just
days before the murder had occurred,and said that he Wilson himself. She
said that she was concerned and urgedhim to get out of the relationship.
She said that Clayton appeared pleased thatSophie was moving away to Wellington, but

(18:34):
said that she was worried about Clayton, stating, clearly, I wasn't concerned
anything untoward was going to happen,but I was concerned enough to say I
think you need a breakaway. Shesaid that he described Sophie as horrible and
said he couldn't believe that he'd ledher influence his life for so long.

(18:57):
Robert Alexander, the Economics select wouldalso testify during the pre trial hearing.
He revealed that just the day beforeSophie was murdered, she had told him
that Clayton told her that he wishedshe was dead because she ruined his chances
of getting a new job that he'dwanted. He revealed that just the day
before Sophie was murdered, she toldhim that Clayton had told her that he

(19:18):
wished she was dead because she ruinedhis chances of getting the new job that
he wanted. He said that Sophiehad often confided in him about things that
Clayton had said to her, andthese things made Robert feel uneasy. She
told him that Clayton often belittled her, calling her stupid, fat, and

(19:38):
ugly. He recollected how Clayton hadonce told Sophie that he was dating a
new woman who was five foot tenand a model who was a step up
from her. He said that Claytonoften made it clear that he believed he
was superior to everybody else, includingSophie. He said that Clayton often suggested
that his student's work was worth list, and that he frequently de moralized his

(20:02):
students. According to Robert, thereal reason that Clayton didn't get the job
was because he had called trouble atthe university. He made two separate accusations
of plagiarism of his work, onewhich was against the then head of the
economics department. Apparently, Clayton hadvery few supporters in the department. Robert

(20:23):
told the courtroom that he'd never broughtup Sophie's concerns to any other member in
the department, and had only beenlistening to and speaking to Sophie in a
personal capacity. One of Sophie's bestfriends, Jessica Smith, would also testify
in regards to how Clayton treated Sophie. She said that he didn't treat her
as an equal and always treated heras if she was stupid. She said

(20:45):
he often called Sophie fat and ugly, and revealed that there had been physical
abuse in the relationship. She beganto cry as she recollected how on one
occasion, Clayton had picked Sophie up, took her into his bedroom and through
her on the bed. He thengot on top of her, straddled her
and had his arms against her throat. She said that Clayton was yelling at

(21:11):
Sophie. He'd gone from saying howmuch he loved her and how she was
the only one for him, tocalling her fat and ugly and telling her
that she was a whore. Shesaid that Sophie managed to get away from
Clayton. She ran to her carand he ran after her, screaming that
he wished her plane crash. Whenshe flew back from her holiday in Australia,

(21:33):
Jessica said that she tried to encourageSophie to go to the police,
but she didn't want to because shehad no bruises and was leaving for Dunedin
soon anyway. Under cross examination bydefense sublic Care, Jessica said that Sophie
often feared that she was not attractiveenough for Clayton. She asked, did
she complain to you that it wasnot satisfying as a sexual relationship as far

(21:56):
as she was concerned, to whichJessica replied yes. Another friend erin Van
der Water, testified that Sophie feltas though the relationship would be more satisfactory
if she could fix the flaws thatClayton was constantly putting her down over.
The court would also hear from SarahForbes, a friend of Clayton. She

(22:19):
testified that on the morning of Sophie'smurder, Clayton appeared to be in good
spirits. It was his birthday andhe was excited about the plans of his
celebrations that evening. She said thatClayton had referred to Sophie as his psycho
girlfriend in the past, and saidthat when she met Sophie she thought she
was possessive in jealous. However,when questioned about this, She said,

(22:41):
that was my interpretation that came aboutthrough the reputation that had been actively constructed
for me. The way I sawher behavior that night was through a lens
that had been given to me.When defense ableck Care suggested she now look
at it through a lens that sawClayton kill Sophie, Sarah said, that's
not a lens, that's a fact, to which defense tablet Care replied with,

(23:04):
we'll see about that. She thentestified that Clayton had asked her to
come to his office the day beforeSophie was murdered. Over the course of
two hours, Clayton talked about Sophie. He said that he was concerned about
her because she had allegedly arrived athis office the day beforehand shaking and sweating.
He claimed that she had hit himin the face with her elbow,

(23:26):
apparently re enacting what she alleged wasan earlier assault by Clayton on her.
She then apparently said, now weare even. He spoke about the earlier
assault on Sophie, but claimed thatshe'd come to his home yelling and screaming
and had tried to hit him repeatedly. He claimed that he'd pushed her on
to the bed simply as a wayto restrain her. After the four day

(23:48):
pre trial hearing, Justice of thePeace actually broad told Clayton that there was
sufficient evidence against him to go totrial for the murder of Sophie. He
asked Clayton if he wanted to pleadguilty, to which applied no. The
defense had applied to have the trialmoved out of Dunedin, fighting it would
be impossible for Weatherston to get afair trial there. This further delayed the

(24:11):
process, which in two thousand andeight was an average weight of two hundred
and eighty five days for a trial. The Elliott family waited an entire agonizing
year to face Clayton Weatherston again atthe High Court in Christchurch. The trial
was delayed two days due to thepre trial arguments, but finally began on
the twenty fourth of June two thousandand nine, around eighteen months after Sophie's

(24:34):
murder. On the first day,the jury heard the opening statements from both
married Grills, the Crown prosecutor andthe defense Judith Albot Kerr. The prosecution
argued that Clayton's savage attack was adeliberate attempt at disfiguring and killing her.
Attorney Grills revealed during her opening statementsthe full extent of Sophie's injuries. Up

(24:56):
until now, the grim details ofher murder had been suppress. Sophie had
been attacked with such brutality that herears and the tip of her nose had
been cut off. There were estabwoundst her eyes, her throat, her
breasts, her genital area, andto other parts of her body. Some
of her hair had also been cutoff. Crown Council Grills told the jury

(25:18):
that it was no coincidence that someof the clusters of wounds to Sophie related
to areas of her beauty and attractiveness. Clayton had started the attack with the
knife he had brought to the homewith him, and then midway through started
stabbing Sophie with a pair of scissors. The defense case is that that is
ludicrous, that what occurred was thatas a result of provocation, he was

(25:44):
deprived of his self control, andthat the tragic and terrific killing of Sophie
Elliott. The defense argued that Claytonhad simply lost control after dealing with abusive
behavior from Sophie for many months andthat he was ill equipped to deal with
it due to his unique personality.Clayton's defense argued that Sophie had attacked him

(26:07):
with a pair of scissors and hesimply fought back. During opening statements of
defense Albert Kerr, she essentially blamedSophie's murder on herself. She said Clayton
was ill equipped to deal with theemotional pain of the relationship, which she
referred to as torrid and tumultuous,and said that this was because of his
unique personality makeup the deceased. Anidea who what seemed also with the course

(26:32):
of the relationship, screamed out tohim Clayton lunched at him with appear of
scissors and in the prices, knockedoff his glasses, leaving him exposed and
vulnerable. She said that Clayton hadbeen provoked into losing the power of self
control and killing Sophie. She saidthat the relationship between Clayton and Sophie had

(26:53):
himpinged his personal and professional life,and even alleged that Sophie had attacked Weatherston
would a pair of scissors and heresponded by stabbing her over two hundred times
with a kitchen knife that he hadbrought along with him to her house.
The defense contended it was manslaughter,not murder, and that the jury would
need to focus on the behavioral aspectsof both Sophie and Clayton and decide what

(27:17):
the proper level of culpability was inthe case. The jurors were warned to
avoid reading or watching any media reportsabout the case and to focus entirely on
what they had heard in court.When the charge was put to Weatherston,
he was asked to respond. Hereplied that he was not guilty of murder,
but guilty of manslaughter. One daytoo, the court listened to the

(27:40):
painful testimony of Leslie Elliott after discoveringClayton brutally murdering her daughter, I race
stays at the face scream and shejust started screaming and screaming and screaming.
I built it on the door,the door. Try the door, and

(28:00):
I was locked. I kicked thedoor and bolted out and screamed at Clayton
to open it, but he didn't. She described the moment she finally managed
to get into Sophie's bedroom after hearingher scream. By this point, Sophie
had fallen silent, and all shecould hear was a rhythmic sound, which
she thought was the headboard banging upagainst the wall. She said, at

(28:22):
first she feared that Clayton was rapingSophie when she opened the door and saw
him straddling her, She testified,quote, his arm was going up and
down. I thought he was stabbingright through her. That was what the
rhythmic noise was. Leslie said thatshe began to scream, and Clayton leaned
over and slammed the door. Shewas already on the phone to the police

(28:42):
at this point. Leslie told thejury that as soon as she opened that
door and saw her daughter, sheknew that she was dead. She said
that Sophie was lying on her backin the corner of the room, surrounded
in a pool of her own blood. She said that her eyes were dead
white and staring into nothing less.She said that she could see that Sophie

(29:03):
was bleeding from the eyes and therewas blood across her chest. She stated,
I don't know why I stepped outof the room. I wish I
hadn't, but I did. Hewas still stabbing her. I suppose it
was all a bit of a shock, really, I stepped back. I
didn't resist him closing the door.She described the whole of Sophie's bedroom as
being read and that she had witnessedblood pouring from her daughter's eyes whilst Clayton

(29:26):
continued to stab Sophie's dead body.Leslie also spoke of the previous incidents that
had occurred between the pair just beforeSophie's death, and talked about Sophie's fear
of Clayton. Leslie was then crossexamined and forced to account for Sophie's previous
relationship ending sourly. It was inferredthat Sophie had hit her ex boyfriend of
four years across the face, scratchinghim, but Leslie was not aware of

(29:49):
this. Leslie said that at firstshe had been concerned about the relationship between
Sophie and Weatherston because he was oneof her lecturers. She said that the
relationship was weird and unlike any otherrelationship Sophie had been in. She elaborated
by saying that there was no usualstarry eyed and loving behavior, which is
typical in the early stages of relationship. She said that Sophie was typically very

(30:11):
loving and could lee, but shesaw none of this in her relationship with
Clayton. She said that Sophie hadconfided in her and that it appeared as
though Weatherson led two separate lives,and that he had a whole set of
other people she didn't know about.Defense counsel Albert Kerr suggested that before Sophie
started to scream, she had shouted, fuck you Clayton. Leslie said she

(30:32):
doubted that her daughter had said that, and said that she either heard her
shout dun't Clayton or stop at Clayton. She accept that she had told the
police she didn't hear Sophie screaming untila couple of minutes after she last saw
her downstairs. However, she hadearlier said she heard Sophie screaming within seconds
of her going up to her bedroom. In the following days, the jurors

(30:52):
heard from doctor Alexander, Sophie's seniordissertation supervisor at the University of Otago.
He spoke of how Clayton had continuousproblems with other members of staff. He'd
accused them of plagiarism. He wouldbe unhelpful with students, mocking them or
pointing out their mistakes. Clayton washoping to get a permanent job at the
university, but he believed that Sophiehad ruined this opportunity for him. However,

(31:18):
Doctor Alexander told him that regardless ofhis relationship, he was unlikely to
get the job anyway due to hisbehavior towards other people. It was my
opinion that he had little chance basedon his conflict with other members of the
department, particularly in accusing two seniorcolleagues of plagiarism. Weatherston had attempted to
push Sophie down the stairs at theuniversity on the seventh of January, and

(31:41):
on the eighth, the day beforeshe died, Sophie went to visit doctor
Alexander again to drop off the giftthat she was supposed to give him the
day before. He said she wasupbeat and happy, but spoke of how
Clayton had pushed her and screamed thathe'd wished she was dead. Told her
that he wished it did that hehad a new girlfriend who was five foot

(32:06):
teen and such a big step upfrom her. Doctor Alexander mentioned involving the
police, but Sophie also insisted tohim that it wasn't worth it because she
was leaving, so soon, hesaid, I regret not having insisted that
she go to the police. Thatsame day, another colleague of Weatherston's took
the stand. Christine Haigh, thedepartment administrator, spoke of Weatherston's attitude the

(32:30):
week he carried out the murder.He didn't mention anything about his attacks on
Sophie in the day's prior, buthe did tell her that Sophie had destroyed
his property and was glad the badrelationship was over. Other than that,
Christine said his behavior was normal andthat she had no other concerns. Sarah
Forbes, another friend of Weatherston's,testified that Sophie had added her on Facebook,

(32:52):
even though they had only met onetime. She informed Clayton of this,
and he told her not to acceptthe friend requests because Sophie would try
and monitor her account. He hadtold Sarah that Sophie was very insecure with
their relationship and that she was doingspot checks at his house. She would
allegedly show up in the middle ofthe night to make sure that no other
woman was staying over. Sophie's bestfriend, Jessica Smith, gave evidence.

(33:16):
Next. She broke down in tearsas she relayed the fears that she had
that Weatherston would one day seriously harmSophie. She said that Sophie had promised
her that she would not go andsee Weatherston again. Testifying, Jessica said,
I was so scared after what hehad done the last time, but
she wanted things resolved. The daybefore the murderer, Sophie had told her

(33:38):
about meeting Weatherston by chance. Justthe previous day, Sophie confided in Jessica
that Weatherston had called her mentally deranged. Jessica also told the jury how Clayton
had often called Sophie horrible names,made cruel remarks about her appearance and intelligence,
and accused her of being spoilt andliving off her parents, which was

(33:59):
an insult that hurt Sophie. Hesaid that her chin was too point a
how either are too far apart.He said that he listed each thing individually.
He said, told her a lookat how disgusting she was. She
told the court that she thought therelationship was inappropriate given that Clayton was one

(34:20):
of Sophie's teachers. She admitted thateverything she knew about the relationship was from
Sophie's perspective. During cross examination,she spoke of Sophie's dissatisfaction with Clayton sexually,
and how Sophie had a sexual encounterwith an Australian man when on holidays
in November seven and seven, andthen another with a dutchman on the same
holiday. Sophie got very drunk onenight and ended up in bed with a

(34:45):
person called Yes and Sophie met upwith a Dutch personal. I think he's
been described as Danish, and you'reaware that that encounter was also and as
a true and of course I complaceif. According to the defense, Sophie

(35:06):
was also seeing a married man,but the relationship didn't go any further.
Testimony was then heard from her formergirlfriend of Clayton's, whose name was suppressed.
She had testified that she had beenin a relationship with Clayton from tw
thousand and four to August of thousandand seven. She said that Clayton could
be kind and generous, but hehad an extremely mean streak and would often
say demeaning things to her about herintelligence and appearance. On one occasion,

(35:31):
he had forced her to compare hisgenitalia to a former boyfriend, and when
she grudgedly answered, he got angryand said, I can't believe you'd tell
me that. It's such an insensitivething to say. On another occasion,
she was attempting to sleep and Claytonwas playing guitar. She had asked him
several times to stop, but heignored her requests, forcing her to put

(35:52):
her hand on his guitar and suggestthat he play elsewhere. Clayton responded by
jumping up and down on top ofher in the bed. She said that
in two thousand and six she triedto break up with him and he flew
into a violent rage, and hekicked me in the back and in the
ribs, and then I traveled acrossthe floor and next thing I knew he

(36:16):
was he jumped on the back ofmy nick Hey at times could have a
very nasty mainstreak, and he didit on various occasions. Say Philly do,
meaning thanks to me. He kickedher, sending her flying across the
room. He had also kicked herin the back, ribs, and knee,

(36:36):
and also on the nose. Hethen took away her keys to prevent
her from leaving the house, statingthat he wanted to talk about the incident.
The same woman had remained in contactwith Clayton after the breakup and said
he was obsessed with Sophie. Twonights before the murder, he had called
the woman and kept going on andon about Sophie, criticizing her and saying

(36:57):
he couldn't believe that he had letsomeone so negative into his life. The
woman tried to calm him down,reminding him that Sophie was much younger than
him, but said he wouldn't letit go. He reiterated his fears that
Sophie had ruined his chances of gettingthe job. It was revealed during the
trial that five days after murdering Sophie, Clayton had written a letter to the
former girlfriend. In jail. Onthe second of July, the prosecution read

(37:21):
out a letter that Clayton had sentto his ex girlfriend just five days after
killing Sophie. It read, Ihave been better, and I've also been
thinking about you. This is arough ride and it's not looking like it's
getting any easier. I'm in acell most of the day, getting some
time for a shower and outside inthe small yard. The food is pretty

(37:42):
good. Knowing I have your supportis crucial to me. I'm so sorry
for not seeing how great. Youtruly are. I will talk see you
and Mum and Dad as soon aspossible. I'm so sorry that such a
horrible person has been glorified in themedia. From what I've heard as our
society, it will blow over.Not going to dwell on the uncontrollables,

(38:04):
but rather on staying positive. Thereis unfortunately way too much time here to
overanalyze. I've started to appreciate thesmall things in life already. I'm nervous
about court on Thursday, and I'mannoyed my side will not be made public.
I also expect a lot of illwill. I will focus on your continued
positive energy to help me through it. Don't know what I'll be wearing you

(38:29):
as my one. Clayton PS Isent moms and visitor application forms. You
need to fill one in if youwant to come and visit. Thank everyone
for me for their support. Atthe time, Clayton's ex girlfriend had no
idea of the true extent of Sophie'sinjuries. Details of the murger were only

(38:49):
released to the media shortly after theletters had been sent, and she decided
at that point that she wouldn't seeor support Clayton again. Another girlfriend who
also remained anonymous, testified during thetrial. She testified that living with Clayton
was like walking on eggshells. Shesaid that she learned to become quite careful

(39:09):
with him because anything could set himoff. She said that the relationship was
generally loving and kind, but shefound it very stressful when Clayton was stress
stating he had two sides, aloving and generous side and a nasty,
mean side, which he seldom showedhim public. She said that there was
an element of fragility to his personality. This woman had actually written to Clayton

(39:31):
following his arrest, telling him thata lot of people were rooting for him
and that he should dig deep andfind those coping skills. However, she
quickly stopped responding after finding out thefull extent of what he had done.
At first, she thought it mighthave been a mistake, that something had
happened in a moment of shock andheat. Following this evidence, the court

(39:52):
was adjourned due to the hospitalization ofa juror. This episode is sponsored by
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app, It's elf stat or Elster. On the seventh of July, an

(41:10):
EESR scientist doctor Michael Taylor addressed theCorps explaining his findings from the analysis of
blood staining in Sophie's bedroom. Hefound three areas of intense blood staining on
the carpet, blood splatter across herwalls and suitcase, as well as drag
marks where Sophie's body had been movedbefore being stabbed. Again, Sophie was

(41:31):
likely already deceased when she was moved. He states, in my opinion,
these findings support the view of anumber of blows were struck while the decease
was on the floor near the cornerof the room, and she was then
dragged to the suitcase, where itis possible more blows were inflicted. Doctor

(41:54):
Taylor also spoke of finding a pairof bent, blood stained scissors between Sophie's
legs, a knife blade inside ofthe suit case, and the handle underneath
Sophie's shoulders. He later assessed Clayton'sflat where he discovered a knife block with
one knife missing. This was laterdetermined to be the knife used to murder
Sophie. Testimony would then be presentedin regard to the crime scene at the

(42:19):
home. Detective Comestable Joan Mary McLoughlintestified that when she entered Sophie's bedroom,
she found her body laying on topof an open suit case with her legs
on the floor. She spotted asmall pair of black handled scissors on the
carpet between Sophie's legs. The scissorswere stained with blood. Near By,

(42:40):
she found a silver knife which wasalso stained with blood. There was a
large quantity of blood surrounding Sophie's body, as well as blattered on the wall
in the corner and to the leftof the door. The suit case contained
Sophie's clothing, which she had beenpacking for the big move. A clump
of hair was also found in thesuitcase. There was blood evidence which was

(43:02):
indicated that Sophie had been dragged acrossthe floor during the attack. Detective Graham's
Mail told the jury that when hesearched Clayton's home, he found that a
kitchen knife was missing from the Wiltshireknife block. He compared the knife block
and the other knives to the knifethat was found in the crime scene and

(43:22):
reached a conclusion that the knife usedin the murder had come from this knife
block. Meanly, Clayton had arrivedat Sophie's home armed with a knife.
On the seventh of July, pathologistMartin Sage took the stand to describe the
condition of Sophie's body after her death. She died from blood loss following severe
wounds to her heart and major arteriesin her neck. Clayton Weatherston had cut

(43:45):
off clumps of Sophie's hair with scissors. He'd removed parts of her ears and
the tip of her nose. Shehad been stabbed around the face, temples,
and eye sockets a total of eleventimes, and her throat alone was
stabbed forty five times. Some ofthe wounds were made by the scissors with
the blade closed. He'd stabbed Sophiea number of times in the breasts,

(44:08):
cut off her nipple, and hadalso attempted to disfigure her genitals. In
total, Sophie had suffered two hundredand sixteen stab and cut wounds. Doctor
Sage didn't think it was a coincidencethat all of the wounds targeted area of
beauty on Sophie's body. Next,a police electronic analyst at the crime lab

(44:29):
spoke of how Clayton had access Sophie'sFacebook photo albums for several minutes before he
visited her home on the ninth ofJanuary. He flicked through until around eleven
thirty nine am, just an hourbefore Sophie was pronounced dead. On the
eleventh day of the trial, thedefense would begin presenting their case. Defense

(44:51):
Greg King said that Sophie had sleptwith two men while on vacation in Australia
in November. He said that whenClayton went to her house, he asked
if he he should be tested foran STD. He made the startling claim
that Clayton didn't have his glasses withhim and was therefore vulnerable. It was
an extremely ludicrous claim from the defenseto stab someone over two hundred times with

(45:13):
a kitchen knife that you'd brought alongwith you because you couldn't see properly without
your glasses. It made very littlesense. It wasn't until the ninth of
July two thousand and nine that Claytontook the stand. He spoke of his
insecurities in prior relationships. I thinkI was probably a bit more fleshy,
bit more image conscious than my brotherwas. Just terrified. I was terrified

(45:36):
of being teased. I mean theair classes of fishing them all, but
not big the end. That wasa source of differentiation and possibly derision from
other people. The anxiety made mesex so to speak. I said,
how big was a sixual organ?You asked her about the size of this
man's penis? Is that right?I think I was after an ego boost

(46:00):
for me and in security. Didyou get the boost you were after no,
no at all the way in whichit always seed. But I mean
I asked for it. Well,oh no, I told you what the
response was right. According to him, he'd not taken the knife to attack
Sophie, but as a weapon forself defense if she was to attack him.

(46:24):
He claims that he only began attackingher with a knife when she shouted
fuck you, Clayton and tried tostab him with the scissors, knocking off
his glasses and leaving him vulnerable.Throughout his testimony, he made sarcastic remarks
and grinned repeatedly. He claimed thathis memory of the murder was very contained,

(46:46):
quite small pieces of information. Hesaid that memory is good when a
person is not stressed and was incontrol. He said that he only had
one vivid memory, and that wasof a crushing sound. He said he
recalled standing or kneeling over Sophie witha pair of scissors in his hand,
and when asked if he killed Sophieafter she attacked him with scissors, he

(47:07):
replied, I think in some respectsit was the straw that broke the camel's
back. It's quite hard to answer. After the murder, he said he
felt a big release and laughed ashe told the court, I thought she
was more than lightly dead. PresumablyI thought, I mean, I didn't
know. He claimed that when hewent to Sophie's house that day, it

(47:30):
was never his intention to kill her. He said his goal was to take
the moral high ground and leave herhome with her knowing that she'd behave badly
during their relationship. He said hebrought up the topic of Sophie's sleeping with
two men while in Australia, tellingthe jury she wasn't happy about that topic
being raised and said that she wasn'ta slut and she'd known the guy a
couple of days. He claimed thatas he tried to leave, Sophie came

(47:52):
at him with a pair of scissors. When asked why he'd bought a kitchen
knife with him, he claimed thathe'd carried the knife in his laptop bags
the middle of two thousand and six, stating that he was concerned about personal
safety. The prosecution also pointed outthat Clayton had locked the door before attacking
Sophie, which clearly indicated premeditation.While on the witness stand, Clayton would

(48:14):
shockingly refer to Sophie as an attemptedmurderer, despite the fact he had no
injuries to himself other than a smallcut on his hand that was most likely
inflicted when he was murdering Sophie.He said that he resented Sophie's contrived legacy.
Prosecutor Bates would read an entry fromSophie's diary. It was dated the
twenty seventh of December two thousand andnine. She wrote, Lord, I

(48:40):
hardly know where to start. Claytonassaulted me when I went to leave.
He went absolutely psycho, no exaggerationat all, I assure you. He
told me I'm a fucking horrible person. Everyone hates me and fucking ugly,
he never liked me, etc.All while pinning me down with his entire
body on his bed. She wrotethat she was extremely scared of Clayton and

(49:02):
that he was furious and unreasonable.Clayton responded by stating that Sophie's version of
the incident was embellished and a fantasy, stating it's pride and Predator, so
you've seen it. She's missus Bennettand I'm mister Darcy. It's Meals and
Boon. His whole dramatic stuff didn'toccur. The next thing I recall is
standing or kneeling over her with apair of scissors in my right hand.

(49:23):
The scissors had gone through the frontof her throat, and I could feel
a crunching sound, not of themgoing in, but of meeting something hard
her spine. During cross examination,he told the court that he did not
find Sophie's body particularly attractive, statingI'm an ass man. He was asked
outright if he targeted different parts ofSophie's body on purpose in an attempt to

(49:46):
disfigure her. He claims he cannotremember any of the attack, but that
disfiguring her was not his intention.Why did you cares of both the reaser,
I don't know, so just acoincidence. They're all features of attractiveness,
Well, I don't. I mypersonal view of attractiveness is that those

(50:09):
features are not important. I supposethat's how they correlate with one another,
and how they are aligned and everythingelse. You can't just have nice ears
and you know it's the whole package. So and that's generically she was attractive.
Why did you cut the nipple offher breast? I don't know.

(50:30):
Stabber in both eyes, I don'tknow you remember doing all those things.
I suggest I don't. I wouldhave an events in chief told you everything
I I mean I did, becauseyou would tell the truth if you remembered
it. Absolutely, you remembered wherethe knife was when the officer asked you

(50:53):
remember that, don't you? Youwere able to convey that straight away.
I had some time before the officerscame into the room. But mister Bates
looking for the knife, please,I you'd have to tell me specifically what
I said in order for your questionto say that that I recalled. Did

(51:14):
you remember that where the knife wasor not? How is your memory on
that? I knew it was inthe area around Sophie, But what you
if you could recall the comment thatI made to the officer, that justifies
the question. And then we'll gofrom the plenty of time, we'll do
that when we come to that.You indicated you remembered you'd use the knife

(51:37):
first and the scissors later. That'ssomething you remember. That's something I deduced
from having had the memories, asI said, of the cut on my
hand, having seen the memory offelt the memory of the scissors. So
definitely the scissors at the end,and the cutting of my hand with some

(52:01):
sort of blade. I assumed itwas the knife you just told us.
You remember that you didn't lock thedoor? That correct? At what stage?
Any stage? Yeah? True,Yeah, that's right. So you
remember that not locking the door?Was it? What you say? No,

(52:23):
no, no, no, Idon't okay, let's flip around.
I don't recall locking the door.I don't recall not locking the door.
You can remember everything happens all thetime that you say, Sophie waves some
scissors itch. It's basically what you'vetold us. As I say, there's
something unintelligible said before, he saidfor cl Clayton, I don't recall that

(52:45):
I was distracted. So I don'tthink it's that deterministic or convenient, because
it's not convenient because I don't likebeing a position where I can't answer questions.
I'd rather know all the answers andbe able to provide you with them,

(53:06):
rather than hipside degree of cynicism aboutmy recorps. I find that a
Philippines. It's just the way itsstudes. Clayton's form. Octeger University Academic
supervises Or Professor Dorian Owen told thecourtroom how just the day before Sophie was
killed, he'd advised Clayton just leaveSophie alone, stating, I told Clayton

(53:28):
to keep his head down, asSophie would be leaving soon, everyone knew
what she was leaving, and therelationship would come to an end. He
said that when speaking to Clayton theday before the murder, he said that
he'd been having a hard time withSophie and that he was concerned about her
temper and her outbursts. Clayton indicatedto Professor Owen that he did not expect
to see Sophie again. Professor Owentestified that when he heard about what happened,

(53:52):
he was of course shocked by theactions of Clayton, but also due
to the fact that he went overto her house. He described Sophie as
not particularly calm or laid back,adding that she was expressive and theatrical and
not afraid to talk in class.He said that she was forceful in the
way that she spoke. He describedClayton as pleasant and said that he was

(54:15):
always very calm person. He saidthat Clayton had told him in the past
that Sophie was controlling. Under crossexamination by prosecutor Grills. Professor Owen denied
making comments about Sophie's breast to Claytonand said that he was surprised that Clayton
had attributed such a comment to him. Testimony in regards to Clayton's mental health
would be presented. Doctor David Chaplowtold the jury that Clayton was not mentally

(54:37):
ill at the time of the murder, but had features of anxiety disorder,
personality, features of narcissism and obsessionality. He said that there were indications of
considerable maladaptiveness and problems with social andother interpersonal relationships. Doctor Philip Brinded had
also interviewed Clayton in prison and saidthat he had significant lack of empathy or

(54:58):
remorse for the murder of Sophie,and that was evident. He testified that
Clayton had taken no responsibility for whathad happened during the relationship or what he'd
done. He also said that Claytonhad attempted to control the interview by using
handwritten chronology of events that he hadprepared, and became increasingly anxious and resistant
to questioning that forced him to deviatefrom the chronology. In fact, Clayton

(55:22):
had said that Sophie was responsible forthe state of affairs which he had found
himself in, meaning that Sophie wasresponsible for her own murder. Doctor brind
had said to the jury that itwas his opinion that a defense of insanity
could be ruled out, as wellas the idea that Clayton committed the murder
in an unconscious, automatic state.Doctor Brindad was the last witness to testify.

(55:44):
Next up were closing arguments. ProsecutorBates said that Clayton had attempted to
rewrite history in a bid to avoidresponsibility for what he'd done. He said
that Clayton had told different people differentthings about his relationship with Sophie, adding
that just days before she was murdered, Eaton had told her that he wished
she was dead. He reminded thejury Clayton went to Sophie's house armed with

(56:07):
a knife and had locked the door, stating that he clearly decided to kill
her and didn't want to be disturbed. Countering this defense, ablic Care said
that Clayton was provoked to the pointthat he lost all self control. There
were audible gasp in the courtroom andsome in attendance even stormed out when she
suggested that Leslie was not a reliablewitness because what she saw that day must

(56:30):
have traumatized her. Jurors began deliberatingon the twenty first of July. While
summing up the case, Justice JudithPotter said to the jury that the pivotal
issue in deciding whether Clayton was guiltyor not was whether the defensive provocation had
been excluded. Since Clayton had admittedto manslaughter but denied murder. Two questions

(56:52):
for the jury or whether Clayton hadkilled Sophie with murderous intent, and if
so, had the Crown proved beyonda reasonable day that he was not acting
under provocation. Murderous intent is anessential element of a murder charge, and
the jury needed to look at theevidence presented carefully. They were told to
take their time and weigh up theevidence clinically. After four hours of deliberations,

(57:15):
they were sent home for the day. The next morning, Leslie Elliott
spoke to reporters outside of the court. She said, it is difficult to
convey the extent of these feelings tothose that have not experienced the sudden death
of a loved one in this horrendousmanner. It has not been easy to
sit daily in court and listen notonly to graphic forensic evidence, but also

(57:37):
to distortions and embellishments of the truthabout Sophie and her life. As painful
as it had been for the family, it is nowhere near the horror that
Sophie faced in the last minutes ofher life. Our lives will never be
the same, but we are fortunateto have the unwavering support of family and
friends. They have been our strength. Not long after entering the court that

(58:00):
day, the foreman of the juryinformed judges that they had reached a verdict.
Clayton Weatherston was found guilty of amurder. The court erupted in cheers,
shouting, and sighs of relief.Weatherston didn't react. He stood there
emotionless until he was led away outsideof the courtroom. Defense at the defense

(58:22):
attorney hugged both Gil and Leslie.Weatherston's mother, Euleen Weatherston, also hugged
Leslie. Leslie and Gil made abrief statement stating that what Clayton had done
had come as a great shock tothem, but said that they hoped he
got the help he needed while hewas behind bars. Following the verdict,
Women's Refuge in New Zealand spoke oftheir disappointment about the way intimate details of

(58:44):
Sophie's life were exposed to everybody andhow the blame was repeatedly shifted back to
her. Her name was dragged throughthe mud in front of thousands, and
her parents were extremely disappointed with thistoo. Her father, Gilbert Elliott,
argued that the provocation defense should bescrapped entirely, and the Women's Refuge backed
this option. They stated because ofthe way the defense was run, this

(59:07):
trial became a perverse opportunity for akiller to continue to prosecute his victim and
her family after her death. Theprovocation defense is based on absolutely archaic notions
about violence. Once upon a time, society accepted that an affront to mail,
privilege or dignity was a reasonable excuseto fly into a homicidal rage.
This trial turned justice inside out.The killer became the victim, and Sophie

(59:30):
Eliot was portrayed to us all ashe chose to describe her. Unfortunately,
for Weatherston, the jury didn't buyit, nor did the hundreds of thousands
of New Zealanders who watched them gigglingon their televisions over the following weeks.
This campaign to change the law wasled by Sophie's parents, the Women's Refuge
and the Sensible Sentencing Trust, andwas backed entirely by the Prime Minister of

(59:52):
New Zealand. In September two thousandand nine, just days before Clayton was
due to be sentenced, Leslie andGilbert were asked by reporters about what kind
of outcome they were hoping for.Leslie said, obviously, I think that
punishment has to be punishment. Littlekids do something wrong, they get punished,
and big kids are the same,especially arrogant ones. If it's a

(01:00:14):
good long non parole period, maybetwenty years plus, I think we will
probably be reasonably satisfied. I thinkfrom our point of view, we need
people use the word closure. Idon't like the word, but it's probably
the best description. Really. Ithink we just need to move on so
that we can think about Sophie andnot think about all that other stuff as
well. On the fifteenth of September, the family walked into court for the

(01:00:38):
last time to face Clayton. Justas Potter stated, I am no doubt
that this murder was committed with ahigh degree of callousness and brutality. I
consider it entirely relevant and appropriate totake into account the prisoner's actions in continuing
to attack after she was dead,including the deliberate and gross mutilation of her

(01:00:59):
body. The continuing attack was verymuch part of the circumstances of her death.
I considered they are likely readily tohave reached the conclusion that his killing
of Sophie Eliot was not the resultof his losing the power of self control,
but rather the deliberate and controlled attackon a young woman whom he had
made known to others he hated.Sophie's family were able to provide impact statements.

(01:01:22):
Leslie revealed that she had undergone hoursof counseling for flashbacks of Sophie's murder.
She said that she had hopes thatone day she'll be able to think
of Sophie how she was when shewas alive, and not the image she
had in her daughter in her head, pale and covered in blood. Leslie
said that she still cried herself tosleep at night and had to take medication

(01:01:42):
to keep functioning on a daily basis. Turning to Weatherston, She said,
Clayton Weatherston, this is what youhave done. I hope her screams of
agony ring in your ears as theydo in mine. Gill said that he
was still struggling to come to termswith what had happened to Sophie, stating
everything I had existed for a stopthat day. He said that Sophie had

(01:02:04):
been mutilated so badly that they hadbeen vised not to see her before her
funeral. Speaking directly to Clayton,he said, you are the epitome of
evil. The defense counsel told thecourt room that Clayton had told her he
understood that people did not see hewas remorseful for what he had done,
and that he had heard much ofwhat people had said about him. She

(01:02:25):
said that Clayton had told her thatpeople who say these things don't see him.
At two a m. In themorning, when he thinks about the
horrendous thing that occurred, stating,he tells me he is sorry. That
he saw no point in saying ithimself because it would appear contrived. Finally,
just as Potter sentenced Clayton to eighteenyears in prison with no chance of

(01:02:46):
parole, again, Clayton showed noemotion, not as the sentence was read
out or when hearing the victim impactstatements from both of Sophie's parents. Throughout
the whole ordeal, he had notshown one shred of her morse. Although
the Elliott family were not entirely pleasedwith the sentence, they were now able
to move on with their lives andcould finally focus on grieving for their beautiful

(01:03:09):
daughter instead. Following the sentencing,Justice Minister Simon Power took heed to what
Gill had said about the provocation defenseand announced that killers could no longer use
it. In November of that year, the defense of provocation was abolished.
After months of healing, Leslie decidedto use Sophie's story as a means for

(01:03:31):
change and made a simple but effectivePowerPoint presentation about Sophie's story. She took
this presentation to schools in the area, including Sophie's former school, and asked
the head teachers if she was ableto have an hour of the student's time.
They agreed, and eventually Leslie nolonger had to invite herself. The

(01:03:51):
schools were honored to have her tellSophie's story. In October twenty ten,
Leslie decided to take the next stepand set up the Sophie Eliot Foundation.
The three main aims of the foundationeducating young people about the dangers of unsafe,
violent and abutive relationships, Empowering youngpeople to take positive action, Equipping

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young people with the skills needed toidentify early warning signs, and the resources
and support necessary to avoid becoming involvedin unsafe, violent and abusive relationships.
By two thirteen, Leslie had partneredup with the New Zealand Police to develop
a workshop specifically for year twelve studentsnamed Loves Me Not. The workshop reflected
all of the main aims of SophieElliot Foundation, educating young adults about the

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dangers of abusive relationships. On theten year anniversary of Sophie's murder, Gilbert
and Leslie spoke to the media aboutthe importance of spreading awareness about domestic abuse
and how at least eight women hadexpressed to Leslie directly that Sophie's story had
encouraged them to leave their violent partners. Unfortunately, in August twenty nineteen,
he decided to close the foundation.After suffering for many years with Parkinson's disease,

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she physically was unable to carry on, she decided to hand the responsibility
of the Loves May Not Workshop overto the police and stated that she did
not want somebody else taken control ofSophie's image via the foundation. She felt
that the work she'd carried out alreadywould make an enormous difference. Since he

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was charged and sentenced, Clayton Weatherstonhas exhausted every appeal he has available to
him, all of which were thankfullydeclined. Clayton Weatherston was a predator and
an abuser. The signs in Sophieand weatherston relationship were not glaringly obvious,
and it became her mother's mission tomake sure that people can recognize an a

(01:05:45):
beautiful relationship as soon as possible.The case not only highlighted the outdated defense
of provocation that helped bring an endto it. Sophie Elliott would have done
amazing things in her life, andshe has inspired amazing things since her death.

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Clayton Weatherston will not be eligible forparole until twenty twenty six. Hopefully
he'll spend longer than that behind bars. A special mention to the books that
Leslie Elliott has written, Loves Minaand Sophie's legacy. We'll have links in
our buier for them. They wereincredibly informative and heartbreaking in equal measure.

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