The Murchison Murders - Arrest, Trial and Execution

Arrest, Trial and Execution

A police officer, Detective-Sergeant Manning, was sent to arrest Rowles. When doing so, he immediately recognised Rowles as a man named John Thomas Smith, wanted after escaping from Dalwallinu in 1928 after having been jailed for burglary. Manning was able to send Rowles back to prison and thus had more time to complete his investigations.

Rowles was only tried for the murder of Louis Carron. Following the murders of Ryan and Lloyd, Rowles had followed Upfields fictional method for the disposal of evidence exactly, leaving a total lack of physical evidence that could be used in a court. In the case of Carron, he had omitted one of the steps allowing several items to be found that were identified. Like Rowles, Carron had assumed a new name, previously having been known as Leslie George Brown. His wife, Mrs. Brown, had attended a jeweller in Auckland to have a wedding ring recut. The jeweller's assistant had accidentally used a 9 carat solder to rejoin the ends of the 18 carat ring. The jeweller would normally have fixed this mistake but had been too busy to do so. The result was a distinctive mark on the ring from a different-coloured solder, which made the ring unique and identified it as Carron's. (Upfield used the 'mended ring' device later in The New Shoe.)

Evidence was given about Rowles' behaviour and his knowledge of the fictional murder method. Evidence was also presented to the court about various lies that Rowles had told about his movements. There was little doubt that Rowles had committed three murders and the jury returned a guilty verdict in only two hours. Rowles was hanged for murder on 13 June 1931.