'Someone's been charged with Angela's murder': The call Laurie Anderson waited 24 years for

Saturday, 26 October 2019

Angela Blackmoore's partner Laurie Anderson says he 'just couldn't believe it' when he heard two people had been charged with her murder.

Laurie Anderson was driving his tow truck when he got the call he'd waited nearly 25 years for.

On the other end of the line was Detective Sergeant Todd Hamilton, the officer in charge of the investigation into the brutal 1995 murder of 21-year-old Angela Blackmoore, Anderson's partner.

Hamilton told him to pull over. He had some news.

'Someone's been charged with Angela's murder.'

**READ MORE:

* Dark Secret: A murder mystery

* [Man and woman charged with notorious cold case murder of Angela Blackmoore

](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/116942874/man-and-woman-charged-notorious-cold-case-murder-of-angela-blackmoore)* Police 'confident' biggest ever reward will lead to information on unsolved case**

Anderson could barely believe what he was hearing. A wave of relief rushed over him.

He struggled to contain his excitement but finished his tow job before he visited the home of Blackmoore's 26-year-old son Dillon and told him the news.

It would be nearly 12 hours before police announced there had been a breakthrough in the cold case.

Young mother Angela Blackmoore was stabbed 39 times in the kitchen-dining area of her Christchurch home in 1995. (This video was first published in May 2019, before anyone was charged with her murder.)

A 47-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Saturday charged with Blackmoore's murder.

There were gasps from some in the packed courtroom gallery as they learned the identities of the pair.

The accused woman was tidily dressed in a green jacket. The man looked dishevelled and wore a dark shirt.

They were granted interim name suppression and remanded in custody without plea until their next appearance in the High Court at Christchurch on November 14.

Blackmoore was 10 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed 39 times in her home in the east Christchurch suburb of Wainoni on August 17, 1995.

Anderson found her mutilated body in the kitchen-dining area of the Vancouver Cres property when he returned from work later that night. There was no sign of forced entry.

Police believed she was killed shortly after a pizza was delivered to the home about 9pm.

They found a bloodied bootprint on the floor, but there was little other forensic evidence.

Despite the length of time that had passed, Anderson told Stuff he was always confident those responsible would be caught.

'I knew I just had to be patient.'

Anderson, who still lives in the house where Blackmoore was killed, celebrated his 55th birthday this week and said news of the arrests was 'the best gift I could ever have'.

'It's the beginning of my end goal. My end goal is that the people who did this are held to justice. That's my legacy to Angela.'

He said he did not know the accused pair and suspected others were also involved.

Earlier in the day, outside court, Anderson told media it had been a long wait for progress on the case.

'Her [Angela's] mother's gone, my mother's gone. A lot of people who were waiting for this day have died.

'Thank you for everyone who has showed interest, supported and encouraged this to happen. This is a great day for Angela, her family and resolution for society. No-one should get away with murder.'

Laurie Anderson was the partner of Angela Blackmoore who was murdered in their house.

Anderson praised Hamilton, who was part of the original homicide inquiry team, saying he'd 'stuck with the case'.

A Stuff investigation – Dark Secret – revealed new details about the cold case in May including the names of several people who were persons of interest to the inquiry. At the same time, police announced a $100,000 reward for information about the case and launched a tipline.

In a statement on Saturday, Hamilton said the investigation into Blackmoore's death was ongoing, despite the arrests.

'Detectives are committed to ensuring all those involved are held to account.'

He declined to comment further while the matter was before the court.

The $100,000 reward – the largest police had ever offered for information leading to the conviction of a killer – was sparked by The Homicide Report, a Stuff investigation examining why New Zealanders kill.

It's understood police received more than 40 tips about the case after announcing the reward. They had been tight lipped about the inquiry - Operation Vancouver - in recent months.

At the time of the murder, Angela Blackmoore was not long out of a volatile 18-month marriage with William Blackmoore. The pair were fighting for custody of their son, Dillon.

Blackmoore was living with Anderson, her new partner, and had recently learned she was pregnant.