William Alfred Bayly (15 July 1906 – 20 July 1934) was a New Zealand farmer and convicted murderer. He was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand, on 15 July 1906. In October 1928, Bayly's cousin, 17-year-old Elsie Walker found dead in the bushes with a bruise on her head. Bayly was suspected of killing her, but he was never charged. Bill Bayly and his wife Phyllis had been dairy farming at

Ruawaro Ruawaro is a rural community in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, situated south of Lake Whangape and west of Huntly. The location of the 1933 Lakey murders and the childhood home of Topp Twins are both loca ...

, near

Huntly Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlement ...

, since November 1928. Their neighbours were Samuel and Christobel Lakey. Relations between Bill Bayly and the Lakeys were initially friendly, but soured when Mrs Lakey was said to have accused Bayly of having murdered his niece. On 16 October 1933 neighbours were concerned as to why the Lakey's cows hadn't been milked that morning. Christobel was discovered lying face down in her pond next to the farmhouse. She had been struck a blow to the face then held down underwater until she drowned. Her husband was missing. Some speculated that her husband had killed her and fled, but it soon became evident that both Lakeys had been the victims of foul play. Two days later bloodstains were found on a wheeled frame near the boundary between the Lakey and Bayly farms, bloodstains were discovered on Bill's sledge, Lakey's guns were found buried in Bayly's swamp, and chemical tests revealed charred bone fragments on a shovel taken from his dairy. In December Bayly, who had been under surveillance by the police, disappeared, leaving a suicide note. He soon surfaced in Auckland, and was arrested for the murder of Christobel Lakey. More evidence was found in Bayly's garden. Bayly had attempted to incinerate all traces of Lakey. On 10 January 1934 Bayly, was charged with Samuel Lakey's murder. Bayly was hanged in

Mount Eden Prison Mount Eden Prisons consists of two separate facilities in the Auckland, New Zealand suburb of Mount Eden — the Mount Eden Prison and the Mount Eden Corrections Facility. History The original Mount Eden prison was a military stockade built i ...

, Auckland, on 20 July 1934. He was survived by his wife and two young sons. Police finally buried the remains of Samuel Lakey in 2015. His remains had been used for forensic training.

References

1906 births 1934 deaths New Zealand farmers People executed by New Zealand by hanging Executed New Zealand people People convicted of murder by New Zealand New Zealand people convicted of murder People executed for murder People from Auckland 20th-century executions by New Zealand Suspected serial killers {{NewZealand-crime-bio-stub

See also

References