Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man beats to death his landlord and lover after she tries to evict him

Valerie Heaney’s body was discovered day later after accused reported it to police

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Tuesday 12 July 2022 08:07 EDT
Valerie Heaney was killed in her home by her tenant on 3 April
Valerie Heaney was killed in her home by her tenant on 3 April (Valerie Heaney)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A 43-year-old man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to beating his landlady and occasional lover to death with a hockey stick for sending him an eviction letter in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Valerie Heaney, 64, was isolating at her Bromley home due to Covid-19 when the accused, identified as Elliot Ajay Prakash, battered her to death on 3 April.

Heaney’s body was discovered in the hallway of her house a day later.

The woman, who had lived in the house for decades, was reportedly a carer at a service provider for people with intellectual disabilities. Heaney turned her home into a boarding house following her husband Gavin’s death nearly 13 years ago.

On 3 April, they were watching rugby on television when a heated argument began. She then wrote a letter asking Prakash to evacuate within a week and cited his “ongoing abuses and threats” toward her.

When he threw the letter away, she sat down to write another letter, in which she said that Prakash had told her: “I’ll see you end up in the ground with your daughter.”

Her daughter Natasha, who had Down’s syndrome, died in 2021.

Heaney was sitting at the dinner table around 5pm, when teh accused attacked her with a hockey stick, according to New Zealand-based news website Stuff.

She tried to escape but was dragged back into the hallway, where she eventually died.

On 4 April, Mr Prakash left for work at 6am. On returning home in the evening, he called the police and claimed that he returned to blood on the door.

When the police arrived, the accused denied killing Heaney, while describing her as a “very good, caring, loving person”.

Authorities initially treated her death as “unexplained” but upgraded it to a homicide inquiry following an autopsy.

Prakash was arrested and charged with murder shortly after. The accused was arraigned before the high court on Tuesday and will be sentenced on 9 September.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in