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Offender Databases Joyce Conwell

Joyce Eileen Conwell

Alias

.

Offences

A party to the murder of Christchurch man Alec Rodgers in October 1999
Also tried to kill a 62 year old woman

Victims

Alec Rodgers
Dorren Muriel Middlemiss

Offender Affiliations

Murray Louis Childs (now deceased)

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1947

Current Location

Prison

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to a ten year life sentence in April 2000
Also doing four years - concurrently - for attempted murder
Becomes eligible for parole December 2009
First parole hearing November 2009

Background
From the Evening Post 04/04/2000
A Dunedin woman was sentenced to life imprisonment in the High Court at Christchurch yesterday after admitting being a party to the murder of a man at the former Wigram air base in September. Joyce Eileen Conwell, 52, admitted supplying the shotgun used to murder Alec Peter Rodgers, 36. A Dunedin man, Murray Louis Childs, also 36, was sentenced to life imprisonment for Rodgers' murder on October 8 last year. Earlier this year in Dunedin District Court Conwell was sentenced to four years imprisonment for the attempted murder of 62- year-old Doreen Muriel Middlemiss, who died on June 7, 1998.

From the Dominion 18/01/2001
A 52-YEAR-OLD woman was convicted yesterday of attempted murder following a fightat a housie game. The conviction of Joyce Eileen Conwell in Dunedin District Court caused an outburst from members of the dead woman's family. Dorren Muriel Middlemiss, 62, was found dead in bed on June 7, 1998. She had bruising to the nose and mouth for which Conwell admitted responsibility. However, a pathologist's findings indicated death was due to coronary artery disease, prosecutor Constable David Pyper said.

Conwell told police she became angry with Miss Midlemiss for hitting her during a disagreement at a housie evening, or bingo game, the previous night. She returned to the victim's address at a rehabilitation house and hid in the wardrobe till the woman was asleep. She punched her at least twice in the face and pushed a bathrobe into her mouth, holding it there for some time. Conwell told police that when she left the bedroom she believed Miss Middlemiss was dead. Conwell was originally charged with assaulting Miss Middlemiss, but yesterday she faced the more serious charge of attempted murder to which she pleaded guilty.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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