Screaming was heard for 10 minutes before a woman was stabbed to death in a Wellington house yesterday morning.
Emergency services were called to a Strathmore property at 11.35am.
Police said a woman who was found lying on the driveway died from stab wounds soon after.
Wellington Free Ambulance spokesman Ross Cameron said a man was transported to Wellington Hospital emergency department in a critical condition.
Local resident Mary Hart said she heard screaming coming from the property where the stabbing took place.
She initially thought it was children playing in a nearby park but could not find anyone there when she went to check. The sound carried on for 10 minutes, she said.
"It was the kind of screaming you'd hear from children on the swings at the park. They're screaming because they're excited, but because it's quite terrifying too."
She had lived in the area for 30 years and had never seen another serious violent incident.
"It's just sad that some people think that's the only way to sort things."
Detective Inspector Steve Vaughan said the stabbing was a suspected domestic violence incident.
Emergency services had worked to resuscitate the woman after finding her lying in the driveway but could not save her, he said.
Last night the man was in Wellington Hospital in a critical condition.
- Hayden Donnell
