Editing Burgess Gang (section)

===Capture===
What the gang did not realize was that the Mathieu party had been planning to meet up with an acquaintance named Henry Moller. When several days passed and they had not arrived, Moller informed the police of their disappearence. Another acquaintance, George Jervis, remembered the gang had stayed in a hut near his property for a few days before leaving in the direction of the Maungatapu track the day before the presumed murders. Several witnesses also remembered that the four men had arrived in Nelson with almost no money but had returned the day after the disappearence with a large amount of money that they spent on drinking and gambling. 

All four men were arrested on suspicion of murder on 19 June. However, there was little evidence to prove that they were guilty as the bodies had not yet been found. The police decided to offer a £200 reward and a pardon to any member of the gang who would give them information on the fate of the Mathieu party. This soon paid off, as Sullivan agreed to the bargain and produced a written statement describing how Burgess, Kelly and Levy had robbed and killed the party while Sullivan acted as a lookout. Sullivan's statement also implicated the gang in the murders of James Battle and George Dobson. The information given by Sullivan allowed police to locate the bodies of all five Maungatapu victims. 

Sullivan was pardoned for his role in the Mathieu party murders and was the star witness against the other three at their trial for the murders of Kempthorne, du Pontius, Mathieu and Dudley (they were never charged with the murders of Battle or Dobson). Burgess, defending himself, produced a counter-statement claiming that he and Sullivan had committed the murders while Kelly and Levy went on ahead. However, Kelly and Levy had taken 22 hours longer to complete their journey than they should have, which they could not explain. Levy had also previously told police that he was with the other three the whole time before changing his story after being informed of what Burgess and Kelly were claiming. Ultimately, Burgess, Kelly and Levy were all found guilty and sentenced to death.

Following the trial, Joseph Sullivan was charged with the murder of James Battle, not covered in his amnesty agreement. Despite his protests that his agreement meant he should be pardoned, he was sentenced to death for the crime. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment due to fears that police informants would be too afraid to come forward. Burgess, Kelly and Levy were hanged at a specially constructed gallows on 5 October 1866, while Sullivan served seven years in prison before being pardoned and ordered to leave New Zealand for the rest of his life. 
[[Category:List]]
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Oceanian Villains]]
[[Category:Early Modern Villains]]
[[Category:Partners in Crime]]
[[Category:Deceased]]
[[Category:Mass Murderers]]
[[Category:Thief]]
[[Category:Criminals]]
[[Category:Thugs]]
[[Category:Execution]]
[[Category:Imprisoned]]
[[Category:Gangsters]]
[[Category:Dissolved Organizations]]
[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Animal Cruelty]]
[[Category:Greedy]]