| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eric Stanley George Graham |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Born | 12 November 1900 Longford, Kokatahi, New Zealand |
| Died | 20 October 1941 Kowhitirangi, South Island, New Zealand |
| Cause of death | Shot by police |
| Killings | |
| Date | 8–9 October 1941 |
| Location(s) | Kowhitirangi, South Island, New Zealand |
| Killed | 7 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Weapon(s) | Mauser rifle Rifle |
Eric Stanley George Graham (12 November 1900–21 October 1941) was a New Zealand mass murderer who killed seven people.
Contents |
Graham was born and raised in Longford, Kokatahi, New Zealand. He then moved to Kowhitirangi, an agricultural district 12 miles from Hokitika in the South Island where he worked as a farmer and where he lived with his wife and two children. He became argumentative and alienated from the community from 1938 onwards, alleging that neighbours were poisoning his cows. As income from his farm dropped he fell into debt and his behaviour towards others became more threatening. His behaviour took a turn for the worse and he started threatening and abusing neighbours passing his house. Graham and his wife practiced target shooting out the back of their home in the middle of the night. Graham was an expert marksman and had an assortment of firearms.
During 1941, he was in dispute with the police who wanted to relieve him of his .303 firearms for war use. It has been said it was for fear for his threatening behaviour to others but he would have been still in possession of several guns and their ammunition. Shooting deer, possums, rabbits and other unwisely introduced animals, was then encouraged.
On 8 October 1941 Graham confronted a neighbour with a rifle. Later that morning Constable Edward Best, 27, attempted to discuss the matter with Graham but backed off with Graham pointing two rifles out the window at him. Best retreated to Hokitika for back-up and returned to the farm with Sergeant William Cooper, 43, and Constables Frederick Jordan, 26, and Percy Tulloch, 35.
Graham fired at them as they approached the house, and Sergeant Cooper and Constables Jordan and Tulloch were killed instantly, Cooper having at least four bullet wounds in his body. Constable Best was also shot and died three days later.[1]
Graham also shot an agricultural instructor, George Ridley, who came to his door, and fled his house. He returned the next evening and killed home guardsmen Richard Coulson and Gregory Hutchison in a firefight.[2]
More than 100 police and army personnel searched dense bush for Graham for 12 days, with orders to shoot on sight if they found Graham still armed. On 20 October an injured Graham was shot by Auckland Constable James Quirke as he walked out of the bush carrying his rifle. He died the next day in hospital. Constable Quirke reported Graham told him he was intending to give up that night.[2]
A New Zealand movie, Bad Blood, was made about Stanley Graham and his chain of killings, as well as the dimensions of historical context and social injustice involved. There have been several biographical accounts of his life and the murders published in the intervening half-century since the tragedies occurred.