He had been released from prison just 13 days earlier. <\/p>\n
Nathan Boulter appeared via AVL for sentencing at the Christchurch High Court. Photo \/ Chris Skelton<\/p>\n
After travelling to McDonald\u2019s street on July 23, Boulter lay in wait \u2013 armed with a 19cm pig-sticking knife he had purchased a day earlier.<\/p>\n
He carried out a \u201cfrenzied\u201d attack as McDonald went to lock her gates after pulling into her Lamorna Rd property. <\/p>\n
The 37-year-old was terrified of Boulter, who had sent her hundreds of messages and threats in the weeks leading up to the murder, and had taken to padlocking her gates to keep her family safe. <\/p>\n
Boulter was on prison-release conditions at the time. <\/p>\n
Following the fatal attack, Corrections commissioned a review into Boulter\u2019s management.<\/p>\n
Police have earlier confirmed they were not notified of his harassment of McDonald. <\/p>\n
Boulter pleaded guilty to murdering McDonald in November and was sentenced today in the High Court at Christchurch by Justice Owen Paulsen.<\/p>\n
Members of McDonald\u2019s family and their supporters packed the courtroom\u2019s public gallery. <\/p>\n
Montgomerie was also in the courtroom to see her attacker sent to prison for life.<\/p>\n
The hearing began with four of McDonald\u2019s family reading Victim Impact Statements. <\/p>\n
Teen describes mum\u2019s \u2018disgusting\u2019 murder<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s daughter was 17 when she was killed. She cannot be named for legal reasons. <\/p>\n
\u201cI witnessed the attack on my mum and what I saw and heard that day has had a severe and ongoing impact on me,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe images, the injuries, and the screams come back to me without warning \u2026 the way my mum was taken from us was violent and disgusting, and the pain that I\u2019ll continue to carry with me is something that nobody will ever understand. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy mum was stabbed not only once, not twice, but 55 times all over her body, head, and her face \u2013 and I\u2019m the one that has to live with those horrific visions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan Boulter appeared via AVL for sentencing at the Christchurch High Court. Photo \/ Chris Skelton<\/p>\n
The teen said that losing her mother had \u201ctaken away all of the future moments\u201d the tight-knit pair should have shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wasn\u2019t there when I turned 18, she won\u2019t be there when I graduate, get married or have children of my own. She won\u2019t be there for my 21st birthday or any of these milestones,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese absences are consistent reminders of everything that has been taken from us. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy mum was such a beautiful, strong-minded woman. Now the only way I can see or hear my mum is through photos and videos.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s death has affected \u201cevery part\u201d of the teen\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat day I didn\u2019t just lose my mum \u2013 I lost my sense of security, safety and direction. My mum was my biggest support; she was the reason I kept going in life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe guided me in the right direction and was the person I could talk to about everything. She gave me comfort, reassurance and stability. Since she died, all of that is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The teen said \u201cnothing can undo the harm that has been caused\u201d by Boulter, which was \u201cprofound and lasting\u201d.<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s flatmate \u2013 who was in the house with her two preschoolers when Boulter attacked \u2013 also spoke. <\/p>\n
\u201cI heard a loud banging on the front door, I opened it to my niece and nephew, emotional crying and yelling, saying \u2018mum is being stabbed\u2019,\u201d she recalled. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe shock and disbelief quickly turned to fight-or-flight mode. It took me a bit to get what they were saying \u2026 I pulled them both inside, and [her daughter] and I called the police. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe screams I heard will never ever leave my mind or sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she had flashbacks and loud bangs or screams sent her \u201cinto a panic\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life will never ever be the same,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou not only took away a dearly loved mother, you took away a life that can never ever be replaced \u2013 all because you could not take no for an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flowers at the scene of McDonald’s murder. Photo \/ George Heard<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s aunty Lyn, her father Steve\u2019s sister, spoke of her \u201canguish, heartbreak and shock\u201d when she got the call about the murder.<\/p>\n
She said her brother \u201cstruggled to get the horrifying words out\u201d but eventually told her \u201cChantal has been killed\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said the impact on the family had been \u201cgutwrenching\u201d \u2013 in particular for her children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey not only witnessed Chan being viciously murdered and barbarically taken, but now they have no mum,\u201d Lyn said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll never forget sitting with Chan when she was in her coffin and hearing the heartbreaking words from [her young son]. He spoke to his granddad and said \u2018wake Mummy up, she needs to wake up now\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo explain to a 7-year-old child that his mummy will never wake up again, that she is in heaven now \u2026 would have been so hard. And to watch [him] trying to understand what was being said was so sad.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described the \u201cheartbreak\u201d of watching McDonald\u2019s children spending their last moments with her. <\/p>\n
\u201cTouching their mum, being in her presence in silence and writing her notes so she could take them with her into the spirit world should never have happened,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe emotional impact has taken a huge toll on each of us … The waves of emotions that have followed have been mammoth … Physically trying to carry on with life has been extremely taxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justice Owen Paulsen. Photo \/ Chris Skelton<\/p>\n
She said McDonald was an \u201camazing young woman\u201d who was \u201cfull of life\u201d and \u201chad everything to live for\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of us ever thought something like this would ever happen to anyone in our family. This has been a huge shock to us all,\u201d she told the court. <\/p>\n
\u201cHer life was ripped from her far too soon. There\u2019s not a day that passes where she is not on our mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said Boulter was \u201ccold and emotionless\u201d and she \u201cfelt so much anger\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only hope you will be haunted by your actions for the rest of your life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay you suffer the way you made our girl suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crown: Murder was brutal, depraved, callous<\/p>\n
Crown prosecutor Pip Currie sought a minimum non-parole period of 18 years for Boulter. <\/p>\n
She said his offending displayed significant \u201cbrutality, depravity and callousness\u201d as well as \u201ccalculated premeditation\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said the horror was exacerbated because McDonald\u2019s children were present when she was stabbed to death \u2013 and the attack was at her own home where she should have been safe. <\/p>\n
She described Boulter\u2019s actions as \u201coverkill\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe offender stabbed Chantal 55 times \u2026 She was stabbed in the head, face, and arms. This was a brutal, prolonged attack,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an extremely determined assault. It was designed to be deadly and there was an unnecessary level of violence \u2013 and consider perhaps the length of time that would be required to carry out that many blows.\u201d<\/p>\n
She noted that McDonald was \u201cin the process of locking herself in\u201d to her property when Boutler struck. <\/p>\n
\u201cIronically \u2026 to protect or prevent this offender from gaining access,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Crown prosecutor Pip Currie at sentencing for murderer Nathan Boulter in the High Court at Christchurch. Photo \/ Chris Skelton<\/p>\n
Currie said the fact that Boulter attacked McDonald, knowing her children were nearby, \u201celevates the cruel and callous nature\u201d and reflects his \u201ctotal insensitivity\u201d. <\/p>\n
She said Boulter had an \u201cunhealthy fixation\u201d on McDonald and said he had clearly \u201cturned his mind to harming her from the day he started \u201dtaunting\u201d her with the relentless messages.<\/p>\n
She said his thoughts were \u201csimmering regarding killing her\u201d and the fact he lay in wait for McDonald proved his actions were \u201ca far cry from a spontaneous reaction\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has thought about it \u2026 He has worked out the best approach \u2026 to ascertain when she would be at the most vulnerable to attack,” she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis obsessive-type behaviour… leads to a very clear inference that this is someone who has thought about and planned and focused on what action he\u2019s going to take.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currie said the \u201ctrauma and harm that flowed on\u201d from McDonald\u2019s death was clear.<\/p>\n
Boulter\u2019s lawyer Philip Shamy disagreed with the Crown that the \u201cpreceding threats and harassment\u201d reflected premeditation.<\/p>\n
He said the behaviour demonstrated an \u201cunhealthy fixation with the victim\u201d and while it was \u201cmore than likely an intention to frighten the victim\u201d it did not reflect an intention to kill. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am forced to say that death occurred relatively rapidly \u2026 This is not a case where there has been a prolonged torture or cruelty in terms of the homicide,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He sought a minimum non-parole period of 14 years. <\/p>\n
He asked Justice Pauslen to consider Boulter\u2019s personal circumstances.<\/p>\n
He said the killer had spent time in more than 40 foster homes as a child and suffered abuse in state care.<\/p>\n
He also had documented mental health issues \u201caround schizophrenia, multiple personality (and) personality disorders.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr Boutler instructs me that he has struggled to obtain appropriate treatment for that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd in the lead up to this horrific crime, Mr Boulter was struggling to find assistance. That is not put forward, however, as any form of excuse \u2013 nor is it put forward other than background as to what was happening to Mr Boulter at the time.”<\/p>\n
He accepted his client was troubled. <\/p>\n
\u201cThings do not bode well for Mr Boulter. There are not a lot of redeeming features \u2013 I accept that. And on the face of it, Mr Boulter is a dangerous man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life in prison: Boulter\u2019s sentence delivered <\/p>\n
Justice Paulsen sentenced Boulter to life in prison and ordered him to serve 17 years before he is eligible for parole. <\/p>\n
He said Boulter had 50 previous convictions and had been subject to 42 sentences of imprisonment from 2006 to 2025. <\/p>\n
The murder was a significant escalation to his previous offending. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a pattern of unhealthy fixations with ex-partners, with extreme electronic harassment escalating to threats of violence – and I note that legal sanctions including imprisonment and the imposition of specific releases have not prevented further serious offending,\u201d Justice Paulsen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour risk of reoffending and the risk you pose to the community are considered to be very high.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justice Paulsen said there was \u201cno evidence\u201d before him to suggest what Boulter\u2019s true mental state was at the time of the offending and whether there was any causative link to the murder. <\/p>\n
Nathan Boulter appearing at the Auckland District Court in 2011. Photo: NZPA \/ David Rowland<\/p>\n
He said Boulter did not engage with pre-sentence report writers. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe report records that you have complex mental health issues, and since your remand, you have shown periods of disruptive behaviour as well as periods of compliance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report… notes your risk of violent offending is linked to your mental stability and that your refusal to take mental health medication has contributed to some previous offending. You also have a history of substance abuse. <\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it is unknown whether the state of your mental health or substance use contributed to this offending, and it is noted that you have had dealings with community mental health services for many years and you are aware of processes to access help you require.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justice Paulsen said McDonald\u2019s murder was a \u201cbrazen frenzied attack in public with a high level of violence\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was at her home, where she was entitled to feel safe,\u201d he told Boulter.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was unarmed, she did nothing to provoke you … this displays a brazen level of callousness … signifies a high level of brutality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justice Paulsen said McDonald\u2019s life \u201cshould not have been taken that day\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo sentence that I impose can make up for the loss of her life and the continued loss experienced by those who loved her,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe trauma suffered by Ms McDonald\u2019s children and witnessing their mother\u2019s death in such a manner will have been immense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police acknowledge sentence<\/p>\n
After sentencing, Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons spoke about the case. <\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s sentence will never bring Chantal back, or end the devastating sense of loss inflicted on her loving family,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no prison term that will ever make up for what happened to Chantal or the profound sense of loss her loved ones have had to endure.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, today brings a small comfort in knowing the community will be protected from a violent, controlling and pathetic gutless coward who so needlessly took Chantal\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police leading Nathan Boulter in handcuffs from a police launch at Mechanics Bay after his arrest on Great Barrier Island. Photo \/ Michael Craig
<\/p>\n
Simmonds said Boulter\u2019s decision not to appear in court in person and \u201cface Chantal\u2019s family\u201d was \u201cextremely disappointing\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cChantal was a much-loved and devoted mother, daughter, sister and friend,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was regarded as a vibrant and special person to all who knew her, which makes her loss even harder to bear for those who were lucky enough to know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police continued to support McDonald\u2019s family and commended them for being \u201cextremely dignified\u201d throughout the court process.<\/p>\n
She said they appreciated all of the support they had received. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank all of the police investigators, staff, and the Crown prosecutor who dedicated themselves to getting justice for Chantal,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey have worked relentlessly to bring this case to court and hold Chantal\u2019s killer accountable for his horrendous crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
The murder of Chantal McDonald<\/p>\n
The court heard earlier that Boulter and McDonald <\/a>were in a brief relationship from May 2025.<\/p>\n She ended it when he was recalled to prison and told him she did not want any further contact with him.<\/p>\n Police said Boutler then \u201cdeveloped an unhealthy fixation\u201d with McDonald.<\/p>\n When he was released from prison, he began a \u201csignificant electronic harassment\u201d of McDonald, including 581 calls to her between the 7th and 20th of July.<\/p>\n Boulter used multiple cell phone numbers and social media profiles to \u201charass, stalk and threaten\u201d the woman.<\/p>\n He sent her messages including \u201cIma chop u down to nothing hoe put u on the level narcissistist hoe\u201d and \u201cone two guess who\u2019s coming for you! Your lack of human compassion and empathy will be the death of you one day soon my Lil hoe! Xxx\u201d<\/p>\n McDonald was terrified and began locking her front gate with a padlock to keep herself safe.<\/p>\n She told family and friends about the threats.<\/p>\n She tried to ignore him and did not contact him at all.<\/p>\n On July 22, Boulter went to a hunting store in Christchurch and purchased a 19cm pig-sticker knife.<\/p>\n The next night, he went to the street where McDonald lived. He hid behind a tree across the road from her house and \u201clay in wait\u201d.<\/p>\n McDonald arrived home with her children at 7.15pm.<\/p>\n Boulter \u201ccrept\u201d across the road and as McDonald walked back to close the gates behind her leapt out and attacked her with the knife.<\/p>\n Boulter left the scene and walked into a nearby house occupied by a family he did not know.<\/p>\n He went inside and placed the murder weapon on the kitchen bench.<\/p>\n He was told to leave, and he went out to the driveway and called his stepfather, then the police, confessing to both that he had just killed McDonald.<\/p>\n \u201cI just killed her now, I stabbed her to death, I f**ked up, bro, I need you guys to come get me, I just killed her bro,\u201d he told police.<\/p>\n Boulter was arrested soon after. He refused to be interviewed by the police.<\/p>\n By then, the killer already had a lengthy history of offending against women. <\/p>\n Boulter\u2019s previous attacks on women <\/p>\n In January 2011, Boulter subjected Montgomerie,<\/a> then 21, to physical attacks and terrifying threats over 38 hours after he bashed her unconscious and dragged her from her father\u2019s home on Great Barrier Island.<\/p>\n Montgomerie\u2019s ordeal only ended when she managed to convince Boulter that she wanted to leave the island with him. <\/p>\n Police said in doing that, she saved her own life.<\/p>\n Boulter pleaded guilty to nine charges, including kidnapping and wounding with intent and was sentenced to eight years in prison.<\/p>\n In July 2020, he was locked up after visiting a woman\u2019s home, taking photos and, over the course of a single day, calling her 300 times and leaving more than 100 voicemail messages.<\/p>\n In 2020, Boulter was back before the courts after offending against a second woman.<\/p>\n The woman was a friend of Boulter\u2019s sister in Southland who he started messaging and soon became obsessed with.<\/p>\n He became aggressive and threatening, he stalked her, and he threatened to kill her.<\/p>\n On one occasion, he went ot her home and later threatened his sister that he would return with a sawn-off<\/p>\n On another occasion, he assaulted the woman and \u201cadvised her to kill herself\u201d.<\/p>\n Boulter was sentenced to three years and two months on seven charges of threatening to kill, contravening a protection order, assault with intent to injure and causing harm by digital communication.<\/p>\n He was refused parole a number of times \u2013 including when the board learned he had not undertaken any rehabilitation programmes in relation to his offending.<\/p>\n But by April 2023, Boulter managed to convince the board that he could be released safety back into the community.<\/p>\n He was not on parole when he murdered McDonald.<\/p>\n However he was subject to prison release conditions at the time of the murder. <\/p>\n Corrections said after Boulter\u2019s release on July 7, 2025 it \u201ccommunicated and worked with\u201dpolice and others in a \u201cmulti-agency group\u201d to monitor his \u201crisk and his compliance with his conditions\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cImmediately after the offending, Corrections commissioned a review into this offender\u2019s management to identify any areas where we could strengthen our practices,\u201d said communities, partnerships and pathways director Glenn Morrison.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of this includes how Corrections communicated and worked with relevant agencies, including police. <\/p>\n \u201cA Coroner\u2019s inquiry into this matter is expected to take place once all criminal proceedings are complete, and Corrections\u2019 review into this offender\u2019s management is expected to form part of this inquiry. <\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to compromise these proceedings in any way and for this reason, it would not be appropriate for Corrections to provide further information on this matter at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n Morrison said the Coroner agreed with the decision not to release the findings. <\/p>\n \u201cLast week senior Corrections staff, along with police, met with family members to offer our condolences and answer, where possible, any questions they had,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOut of respect their privacy, we won\u2019t be providing further details of that meeting. <\/p>\n \u201cWe know they will rightly still have many questions, and the Coroner\u2019s inquiry will form an important part of addressing these questions.\u201d<\/p>\n Morrison offered condolences for everyone who knew and loved McDonald.<\/p>\n \u201cOur thoughts remain with the family and friends of the victim who was tragically murdered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo family should ever have to experience the unimaginable pain brought about by the serious and devastating offending of Nathan Boulter. <\/p>\n \u201cI also want to acknowledge the victims of Mr Boulter\u2019s previous offending, who may have found the news of his most recent crimes incredibly distressing.\u201d<\/p>\n Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He had been released from prison just 13 days earlier. Nathan Boulter appeared via AVL for sentencing at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300788,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[155261,1558,90680,3013,120457,1061,4487,1349,59502,1872,2082,1668,1861,1345,78,14641,42031,424,31271,29484,2721,4275,15360,89505,111,43,139,165156,69,1118,17699,5353,14447,21413,93067,165,61,8844,20424,102,2248,1530],"class_list":{"0":"post-300787","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-attacking","9":"tag-been","10":"tag-boulter","11":"tag-but","12":"tag-chantal","13":"tag-children","14":"tag-christchurch","15":"tag-court","16":"tag-expartner","17":"tag-face","18":"tag-for","19":"tag-front","20":"tag-history","21":"tag-home","22":"tag-in","23":"tag-jailed","24":"tag-lengthy","25":"tag-life","26":"tag-mcdonald","27":"tag-minimum","28":"tag-mum","29":"tag-murder","30":"tag-murdering","31":"tag-nathan","32":"tag-new-zealand","33":"tag-news","34":"tag-newzealand","35":"tag-nonparole","36":"tag-nz","37":"tag-of","38":"tag-offender","39":"tag-period","40":"tag-refuses","41":"tag-serial","42":"tag-stalking","43":"tag-their","44":"tag-to","45":"tag-victims","46":"tag-violent","47":"tag-with","48":"tag-women","49":"tag-years"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Nathan Boulter appears at the High Court of Auckland. Photo \/ NZH<\/p>\n
Police and members of the local community took part in a massive search for Nortessa Montgomerie. Photo \/ Natalie Slade<\/p>\n