The parole hearing for convicted murderer Clayton Weatherston has been scheduled for January 30.
Weatherston, now in his 50s, was in 2009 sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 18 years after being found guilty of murdering 22-year-old Miss Elliott, his ex-girlfriend.
On January 9, 2008, he stabbed her 216 times in her bedroom at her family’s Ravensbourne home — one day before she was set to move to Wellington and start a new job with the Treasury.
Miss Elliott’s father, Gil Elliott, told the Otago Daily Times he sent a written submission to the parole board about six weeks ago, having gone back over everything that happened at the time.
"Eighteen years does seem like an awfully long time, but, in many ways, it still feels like all of this happened yesterday."
He planned to attend the parole hearing in person, in Christchurch.
While he did not think the parole board would let Weatherston out on the first occasion, "theoretically, they could".
Mr Elliott said Weatherston, who was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) by two psychiatrists appearing for the defence, was entitled to go before the parole board, but he believed he could be a danger to the public.
Narcissists were unpredictable — Weatherston included.
"Nobody would have predicted what he did.
"Not even his closest friends would have predicted what he did."
He hoped members of the parole board were "well and truly aware" of what narcissists were and what they were capable of.
"If they let him out, then it’s a risk that the parole board takes that he will not react to some perceived insult.
"It doesn’t have to even be a real insult — a perceived insult sometimes is enough to set them off, because their ego is so fragile.
"He could do the same to another person, another family."
The parole board needed to understand there was no cure for NPD — "once a narcissist, always a narcissist".
"I don’t think 18 years is going to make much difference to him."
There was nothing they could do if the parole board did decide to let Weatherston out, but Mr Elliott had already told the board they did not want him in certain areas of New Zealand where they had family and friends.
Corrections was also short-staffed and he was not sure it would be able to keep a proper eye on Weatherston.
"That’s quite another thing that concerns me."
A then 32-year-old economics lecturer at the University of Otago, Weatherston showed up at Miss Elliott’s family home unannounced, claiming to have a farewell gift for her.
He then killed her inside her locked bedroom.
During the trial, Weatherston took to the stand in his own defence and attempted to blame his victim for the crime.
"It’s drama," he told the court.
"It’s Pride and Prejudice, you know, you’ve seen it.
"She’s Mrs [sic] Bennet, I’m Mr Darcy.
"It’s Mills and Boon, man."
Weatherston pleaded not guilty to murder and argued provocation, telling the jury that Miss Elliott mistreated him and claimed she attacked him with scissors as she packed for Wellington.
