'House of Horrors' guilty plea

Last updated 11:21 09/11/2009

'House of horrors' murderer Jason Somerville strangled his wife Rebecca Somerville and Tisha Lowry to death before having sex with them.

Somerville pleaded guilty to murdering the women after a brief appearance in court this morning.

Somerville, 33, was charged with two counts of murder after the bodies were found underneath his Hampshire Street house on September 4 this year.

Tisha Lowry lived two doors down from Somerville and had disappeared after going to the Bower Tavern, near her Hampshire Street home, in September 2008.

The shocking details of his crimes emerged in a statement of facts issued following today's guilty plea.

The statement said Somerville strangled Lowry until she was no longer breathing. He then stuffed a pair of his wife's underpants in her mouth and had sex with her.

Somerville was due at a meeting early that afternoon so had no time to dispose of Lowry's body, leaving her lying on the floor of a cupboard.

The following day, Somerville waited until his wife had gone out before again having sex with Lowry's body, now hidden under the house.

The six-page statement went on to explain that he also killed his wife in a similar way - strangling her and stuffing underpants into her mouth. "Once she was dead he had intercourse with her.''

Somerville has been remanded in custody for sentencing on November 27.

The judge ordered victim impact statements and psychological reports. He indicated a sentence of preventative detention was being considered.

The house has been the subject of repeated arson attacks since the discovery of the women's bodies.


Somerville's wife Rebecca Chamberlain who was found under the floorboards of her home at the corner of Hampshire Street and Wainoni Road.


Tisha Lowry who was found under the floorboards of a house at the corner of Hampshire Street and Wainoni Road.

Jason Somerville - the facts

Last updated 12:45 09/11/2009

The summary of facts, revealed in the Christchurch District Court today:

Between 10.50am and 12.30pm on September 25, 2008, Tisha Lowry went to Somerville's home, just two doors down from her own.

The Somervilles and Lowry knew each other and she had been to their house before.

The defendant Somerville was home alone and answered a knock on the front door. He opened the door to find Tisha Lowry standing there and he invited her inside.

Once inside the address a struggle took place. Somerville grabbed Lowry around her throat with his hands.

Lowry kicked and punched the defendant in an attempt to break from his grip. The defendant tightened his stranglehold around her throat.

The defendant increased the pressure of the strangle to a point where the victim was no longer resisting and had lost consciousness. The defendant continued to squeeze her throat until he was certain she was no longer breathing.

The defendant then noticed a large volume of aspirated blood discharging from her mouth and has grabbed a pair of his wife's underpants.

He forced the underpants on to her mouth, forcing them deep in her throat.

The defendant removed her jeans and underpants and had sexual intercourse with the victim.

He was due to attend a meeting in the early afternoon. He was short on time and left Lowry's body of the victim lying on the floor of the cupboard under the stairs.

He removed the manhole cover, which is located on the floor of the stairwell cupboard. The manhole gives access to the sand-based sub floor underneath the house.

The defendant dragged the body of Tisha Lowry and lowered her into the manhole. He left her lying semi-naked under the house.

He put the cover back over the manhole and cleaned the house in anticipation of his wife returning.

The defendant's wife returned home around 3pm and had no knowledge of what had taken place in her absence.

The following morning Rebecca Somerville left the house to attend a meeting which the defendant knew would keep her away from the house for the majority of the day.

The defendant went beneath the house and removed the remainder of the clothing worn by the victim. He again had sexual intercourse with her.

He then dug a shallow grave near where she lay and buried her body along with the clothing that she had been wearing.

Three days later Lowry was reported missing by her family.

Police launched a missing person investigation.

On October 5, 2008, Somerville was spoken to by police as part of that investigation.

Somerville made a statement to police, saying that he and his wife, Rebecca Somerville, would often see the victim on a bus. He said that about four weeks earlier she had knocked on their front door asking for another person.

The defendant also said that the victim came inside his address and that they had begun talking about the real estate agents that he was using to sell his house.

The defendant said that Tisha Lowry had walked around his house and that he originally had assumed she was going to use the toilet. He said after a short time he found her in their bedroom looking through the wardrobe and he then asked her to leave.

The defendant also told the police officer that when Lowry was at his address his wife was at a meeting and not at home.

At about 9.30am on Sunday, August 30, Somerville and his wife Rebecca were asleep in their bed.

The defendant made several attempts to have sex with his wife. She did not welcome his sexual advances and repeatedly said no to him.

The defendant went downstairs to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee.

He returned to the bedroom and again attempted to have sexual intercourse with Rebecca.

Somerville became angry after she refused again.

He placed his arm around her neck in a headlock-type fashion and tightened his grip, compressing her airway.

Once she was rendered unconscious he felt for a pulse in her carotid area but felt no pulse present.

The defendant placed his fingers on top of the vital arteries and placed firm downward pressure, ensuring that there was no chance of the victim regaining consciousness.

The defendant has then took a pair of underpants and stuffed them into the victim's throat.

Once he established that Rebecca was no longer alive, he proceeded to have sexual intercourse with her.

He dragged her body out of the bedroom, along the hallway, down the flight of stairs where he forced her through the manhole in the stairwell cupboard and buried her body in the sand underneath the floorboards.

At about 2.15pm on Sunday, August 30, the defendant phoned the Christchurch police and informed them that his wife, Rebecca Somerville, was missing.

He stated that Rebecca left their home address at about 10.30am that day to go to church. He said that she left without her keys to the house, which he felt was out of character and that her handbag, cellphone, bank cards were all at home.

The defendant told the police that Rebecca was a recovering alcoholic and that she suffered from depression and was on medication for this.

The defendant told police he checked with the church and found out that she had not attended that day. He said that he contacted police because it was out of character for her to leave the address without her keys and not have returned home.

He also said that when Rebecca consumed alcohol she had in the past bought razorblades and headed to wooded areas or reserves to self-harm and that she had previously been located in Riccarton Bush.

At 2pm on September 3, 2009, Somerville went to the New Brighton police station and again spoke to detectives. He stated that he had discovered his wife's prescription glasses and wedding ring in the letterbox of their address and that they must have been placed there overnight as he had checked the letterbox the previous evening.

When interviewed further, Somerville admitted that he had killed both victims.

A scene examination conducted at 312 Wainoni Rd found there were two bodies buried under the house.

These bodies were later identified as Tisha Lowry and Rebecca Somerville.

In explanation, Somerville admitted the facts and said that he had become angry with Tisha Lowry and killed her.

He also said that he killed his wife because he was angry with her for not having sex with him.