On February 7 last year Matthew Williams lost his life, and Joseph Pitcaithly suffered severe injuries during a confrontation at a shared accommodation facility managed by the Community Living Trust on Clyde St in Hamilton.
Bailey Ecclestone, a resident of the facility, initially faced charges of murder and causing grievous bodily harm but appeared in the High Court at Hamilton last Friday, entering a guilty plea to a reduced charge of manslaughter and admitting to the wounding of Pitcaithly.
The fatal incident unfolded when Pitcaithly confronted Ecclestone about a messy kitchen, escalating into a heated argument, during which Ecclestone, wielding a knife, fatally stabbed Williams in the neck as he attempted to intervene.
Pitcaithly also sustained injuries in the altercation.
Details from the Crown’s summary revealed the tragic sequence of events.
The argument escalated when Pitcaithly hurled a plate at Ecclestone, prompting Ecclestone to retrieve a wooden-handled knife with a serrated blade from his room and threaten Pitcaithly with harm.
In response, Pitcaithly urged Ecclestone to follow through on his threat. Amidst the confrontation, Williams, who was visiting a friend, rushed upstairs to intervene. Despite Williams’ efforts to intervene and defuse the situation, Ecclestone swung his knife, injuring Pitcaithly on the shoulder. In the chaos, Ecclestone struck Williams in the neck with the knife. Williams managed to ask for assistance before collapsing after alerting others to his injuries. Despite the efforts of fellow residents and emergency responders, Williams succumbed to his injuries two days later at Waikato Hospital.
Justice Michael Robinson convicted Ecclestone of the charges, with sentencing scheduled for May.
