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She also Murder following death of toddler in April 2022.
Prosecutors allege Mulford harmed and ultimately killed the toddler out of a growing resentment toward the child and his father, Dylan Berry, because she was responsible for caring for the child full-time even though the child was not her own.
On the morning of her death, Mulford fed the girl a full 200-milligram ibuprofen tablet dissolved in a medicine bottle to help her calm down.
After finding her unresponsive, Berry gave evidence yesterday, saying he ran into the room and discovered she had consumed about a quarter of the bottle.
However, the defense claimed it was Berry who caused her “catastrophic” abdominal injuries when she was on his “magic carpet ride” where he tied a tarp to the back of his motorcycle and she fell off it and hit a fence post.
The defense claimed she had also fallen off a Bumblebee trike the day before.
Under questioning by Crown prosecutor Rebecca Mann, Lara said the number, colour and location of injuries following the 2021 incident made the cause of the injuries more likely to be strangulation than a fall.
“This is based on the way Halle-Rose was injured… I think there is a force that causes this phenomenon.
“The appearance of her face, the symmetrical swelling around her eyes, the black marks and spots around her eyes, the injuries on the back of her neck all contributed to this condition… and the crowded appearance of her face was the most striking feature of that day.
“I don’t think it was inevitable that she would fall.
“My concern is that strangulation occurred rather than accidental injury.”
What was “most striking” to doctors was the change in the little girl’s face.
“Her whole face looked crowded. It was most noticeable in the cheeks and forehead, and under the chin.
“But it’s a different colour to the rest of her neck and torso, which look like a pale, normal skin colour.”
The child’s eyes “turned black and purple, and the sockets were more swollen than I thought.”
Lara said when evaluating a child, she bases it on what she hears and the injuries the child has suffered.
However, in the case of a fall injury, she would have expected the child to extend his or her hands to slow the fall and protect himself or herself.
Halle Ross’s hand was not injured.
Given the injuries to the back of her neck, around her jawline and the pinch marks on her earlobes, “this was not consistent with a simple fall.”
“I’m concerned that Halle-Rose has suffered compression on her neck…her injuries are more likely to be caused by strangulation than a fall.
“It is highly unusual for a fall to result in injuries to the front of the face and back of the neck.
Defense attorney Nick Dutch clarified to Lala that considering Halle Rose weighed only 10.8 kg, the amount of ibuprofen she should have taken should be half that amount.
He also put it to her that the injuries could not be ruled out as a result of a “complex accident” involving “multiple events”.
She replied, “Indeed.”
“I don’t know what to think”
During Mann’s re-examination today, she asked Berry if Mulford wanted to have a child after Halle-Rose’s death.
When asked if he was responsible for Halle-Rose’s death, Berry said he loved Halle-Rose and would never do anything to hurt her.
“She’s kind of like a smaller version of me… kind of a tomboy,” adding that it’s like having a daughter and a son at the same time.
As for how he felt about Halle-Rose’s death, Berry said it was hard for him to figure it out until the news was confirmed.
“I’m trying to make sense of it in my head,” he said, adding that he couldn’t imagine where in Hamilton she could have fallen from her Bumblebee trike and suffered such serious injuries, as the defence had alleged.
“If she had walked down the steps … she would have fallen onto the grass.”
When asked how he felt at the funeral, Berry said he “didn’t know what to think, I couldn’t think”.
“I was confused… from what I understand she fell off her tricycle.”
However, on October 25, 2022, they were called for a meeting with detectives, where the autopsy findings were explained to them.
“Did you continue your relationship with Miss Mulford after that?” Mann asked.
“No.”
The trial continues.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in the Waikato. She has worked at NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20 years.
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