Jason Craig Mackrell, 28, sickness beneficiary, was found
guilty of raping, sodomising and murdering Catherine Croster, 78, in her
Carter's Street home in Christchurch on February 24, 1997. He was also
found guilty of raping a 77 year-old woman, on July 7, 1995.
Mackrell pleaded
not guilty by reason of insanity.
Miss Croster's
body was found under a pile of rubbish in her garage. In a videotaped
interview with police, Mackrell admitted assaulting Croster in her
garage and hitting her on the head with her walking cane and a tin of
paint. He then raped and sodomised her.
Forensic
psychiatrist Dr Peter Miller, believed that a family history of manic
depressive illness was a reason for Mackrell's actions.
Mackrell was
sentenced to life imprisonment on October 15, 1997 and is in
Christchurch's Paparua Prison.
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