Munro family murders, 1892 (Event)

SummaryDuncan Munro was a Tauranga labourer. He was very young he was step-son to James Bodell when his widowed mother remarried. For many years he suffered from epileptic seizures which developed into episodes described by contemporaries as religious mania. About three years before the murders he was certified insane following threatening behaviour during the birth of a child and was confined in the then "Whau Asylum" for several months before being discharged and returned to Tauranga. Witnesses later stated that he continued to experience seizures, agitation, and erratic religious behaviour, and that both medical practitioners and acquaintances had warned he might become dangerous.

Munro had married Grace Emma Freeman about seven years before the incident. Friends had suggested she wait and see whether his episodes got any worse but she apears to have no heeded their advise. They had four children at the time of the incident: George (6), John (about 5), Alexander (about 3), and Lilian (an infant). In the months leading up to February 1892 there were increasing reports of instability, including alleged knife incidents (later dismissed), violence toward his wife, and more frequent seizures.

On Monday, 8 February 1892, Munro was seen in an excited state speaking obsessively on religious topics and was taken to his mother’s house. By evening he appeared calmer and was returned home by family members, including his brother Peter, and left in a separate room with internal doors arranged to isolate him.

During the night or early morning of 9 February 1892, Munro attacked his family inside their house using blunt instruments. Early that morning James McRoberts, a milkman, discovered the scene after receiving no response at the house and seeing Munro walking on the nearby beach in his nightshirt.

Inside, Grace and the children were found with severe head injuries. George, John, and Lilian died within hours. Grace remained unconscious but died on 14 February. Alexander survived with serious injuries.

Munro was arrested shortly afterward by Constable Whelan. Witnesses described him as in a disturbed state, singing hymns and claiming divine instruction. At the coroner’s inquest on 10 February 1892, Dr Bullen gave evidence that Munro had long been of unsound mind and potentially dangerous. Multiple witnesses also outlined prior incidents and warnings. The jury returned a verdict that Munro had willfully murdered his children and added that he should not have been discharged from the asylum.

Munro was subsequently taken to Auckland and found not guilty on the grounds of insanity, being confined accordingly. The murder was regarded at the time as the first homicide by a European in Tauranga, though this of course Date of Event9 February 1892SourcesBay of Plenty Times, 10 February 1892, p.2Bay of Plenty Times, 15 February 1892, Page 2

Staff at the Auckland Mental Hospital, or Avondale Mental Hospital originally called Whau Lunatic Asylum, later called Oakley & Carrington Hospitals. The site was briefly owned by Unitec and is now being developed by a partnership involving the Crown, and Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau

Auckland Museum Reference PH-1968-1-10

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Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our heritage resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted within.CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesLicenseCC BY 4.0AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries. Munro family murders, 1892 (Event)

Relates To

PeopleMunro, Duncan, 1861-1904 (Person)Bodell, James, 1831-1892 (Person)

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Munro family murders, 1892 (Event)