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RNZ News
29-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Judge drops murder charges related to Karori death after deemed unsafe for jury
The women has permanent name suppression. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Charges have been dropped in a Wellington High Court trial after the judge ruled, on the basis of the Crown's evidence, it was not safe for a jury to convict. A woman, who has permanent name suppression, has been on trial since early May, facing a charge of being party to murder for the death of Rau Tongia, who died in Karori in 2020. Two women were convicted of his murder in a trial last year and a total of seven people have faced charges in relation to his death. The Crown alleged that the woman on trial had sent Facebook messages to Shayde Weston, one of the two women convicted of his murder , which incited the killing. Justice Paul Radich told the jury on Thursday morning there was no evidence that those Facebook messages had been received or read by Weston. Justice Radich said following the end of the Crown's case an application to drop the charges, which was made by the woman's defence lawyer Elizabeth Hall, had been made. He said it was one of the rare cases where an application was granted and the charge dismissed. Following the charge being dropped, the woman was visibly relieved. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Rau Tongia killing: Defendant recalls discovering dead body in her bed
By Catherine Hutton, Open Justice reporter of Rau Tongia, 33. Photo: Open Justice / Supplied A woman accused of being a party to murder says she'd never seen a dead body before, but she knew Rau Tongia was gone as soon as she saw him, because he was so pale. The woman, whose name is suppressed, is on trial in the High Court at Wellington, where she denies being a party to Tongia's killing in December 2020. The woman is charged with abetting, inciting or counselling the killing by allegedly sending Facebook messages to a woman who had a gun, including ones saying "Org it" and "Come get this c***". The court heard police believe Shayde Carolyn Weston, who has already been convicted of Tongia's murder, used the gun to shoot him in the back as he slept beside the woman now on trial. The woman's lawyer Elizabeth Hall says Weston would have shot Tongia regardless of the messages. Others in the house also had access to the Facebook account from which the woman is alleged to have sent the messages, something she vehemently denies doing. In two written statements given to police shortly after Tongia's death, which were read to the jury this week, the woman described the shock of discovering Tongia's body in her bed and the tumultuous events that night. The woman told police she'd met Tongia in Christchurch more than a decade ago. Over the years, they'd become close friends and had a casual sexual relationship. She told police what began as drinks to celebrate Tongia's first week in a job as a scaffolder, after recently arriving in Wellington, had soured after he'd seen her and Weston kissing. Shayde Carolyn Weston has been convicted for the murder of Rau Tongia in December 2020. Photo: Stuff/Juan Zarama Perini Angry and upset, Tongia had attacked Weston while she'd slept. Tongia and Weston continued to fight and argue on the balcony of the Karori house. Police were called, but left after the woman assured them everything was okay. In her statement, the woman said Tongia then sustained a head injury after a fight on the driveway against a group that included Weston. He'd returned to the house complaining of being struck with a hammer or an axe. She'd tried to stem the bleeding with a pillowcase. She said Tongia had hurled abuse at her, accusing her of being selfish and not caring about him. During her interview, the woman told police Tongia was so drunk, he was impossible to reason with. She'd shut and locked her bedroom door, but Tongia had broken in and got into bed beside her. He'd put her in a chokehold, tight enough that she'd struggled to breathe. He'd continued to abuse her while also telling her he loved her and said they needed to go to sleep, she said. In the morning, she said she'd slid out of bed and gone downstairs, where she and her niece had laughed about the night's events. About 20 minutes later, she'd gone back to bed. Offering Tongia a drink of water, she'd realised he was dead. "I looked at him and he looked dead. I've never seen a dead body before, but he looked all pale and his eyes were slightly open," she told police, according to the statement. There was a patch of blood in the bed behind him by his lower back, she'd told police. She didn't know how it got there, saying she'd been so "out of it" she'd heard nothing during the night. While speaking to police, she'd noticed specks of blood on her socks, pants and T-shirt - the clothes she'd slept in. But she didn't know how they got there. She'd run downstairs, telling her niece and son to check on Tongia. Confirming he was dead, they'd called emergency services. As they stood on the driveway while paramedics were inside, her neighbour approached her. The teenage girl said that while everyone was asleep, someone had come up to the house carrying a long firearm and had let off some rounds. The woman told police Tongia had only arrived in Wellington shortly before his death. In that time, the only people he'd had a problem with were a neighbour, whom he'd knocked out during a domestic dispute with his partner, and Weston, who'd he'd only met the night she'd fatally shot him. Three months later, in March 2021, the woman gave a video interview to police, which was played to the jury. During that interview, the police officer showed the woman Facebook messages, which police allege she wrote shortly before Tongia was shot. "My bro attacked Shayde while she was asleep. F***** peanut. Now he's attacking me." The messages continued, "I'll f***** kill him. Yes org." Asked by the person receiving the messages whose she's talking about, the woman allegedly replied saying: "Come get this c***." Police say that while more than one device in the house was logged on to the Facebook account in question, it was the woman who wrote the messages - something she vehemently denied in the police interview. "I didn't write that. I can't even write like that drunk. I was f***** off my face," she told police. Questioned further during the interview, she said "that wasn't me. Look, it honestly wasn't. I did not write those messages. No f***** way. Nah. If it was from my phone, well, then someone's written those. Are you trying to implicate me?" she asks the police officer. Police say the woman sent the messages while upset and frustrated at the way Tongia had treated her that night. But towards the end of the interview, the woman makes it clear she's unhappy at the suggestion she played any part in Tongia's death. "Oh f*** off I did. No. F*** off I did. 'Cause this is actually bullshit. Yous [sic] are f***** stupid if that's what you f***** think. F*** this. F***** get me down here and f***** talk shit and then tell me that I played a part in f***** shooting my f***** friend." The Crown has now finished its case in the jury trial, which is now in its third week before Justice Paul Radich. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- RNZ News
Murder was sparked by 'kill him' Facebook message, court hears
The messages were found by police in data seized from Facebook's parent company Meta. File photo. Photo: 123RF A woman's Facebook messages led to the murder of a Wellington man, a jury has been told. The 40-year-old woman - whose name is suppressed - has pleaded not guilty to being party to the murder of Rau Tongia in a trial at the High Court in Wellington. Tongia was shot in his Karori home in the early hours of 20 December 2020. In a trial that began on Monday, Crown prosecutors told the jury that moments after the defendant sent messages saying "kill him" and "this n***** needs to go permanently", a woman was on her way to Tongia's house with a gun. But the defence said Tongia's death had nothing to do with any messages and was related to an assault on the woman - Shayde Weston - earlier in the evening. Weston was one of two women convicted of Tongia's murder in a three-month long murder trial last year. Defence lawyer Elizabeth Hall said her client and Tongia had known each other for years, and had a "friends with benefits" relationship. She said Tongia was unpredictable and violent, and that the jury would hear evidence that he attacked Weston while she slept after seeing Weston and her client kiss. Hall said Weston made threats to kill Tongia, but her client did not take those threats seriously. Later in the night, Weston returned to the address with friends and weapons and Tongia was hit in the head with a hammer, she said. Police were called, but left after no one made a statement. Outlining the Crown's case, prosecutor Tamara Jenkin said after the altercation with the hammer, Tongia attacked the defendant and put her in a choke hold. She said because of this the defendant was angry and wanted Tongia dead, and knew Weston would want revenge for the assault on her earlier in the night. Jenkin said the defendant sent Facebook messages to Weston encouraging her to kill Tongia, and three minutes later, Weston was on her way to the house with a shotgun. She said the messages were found by police in data seized from Facebook's parent company Meta. She said the timing was not a coincidence and the Crown's case was that the messages directly abetted, incited or counselled Weston to commit murder. Hall said her client did not remember sending any messages, and that messages received on Weston's old Facebook account had no impact. "Weston did what she did without any incitement or encouragement... by the time those messages were sent Shayde Weston was already well on her way to carrying out her plan to kill Rau Tongia." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- RNZ News
Second trial underway over death of Karori man Rau Tongia
The High Court in Wellington where the trial is taking place. Photo: RNZ / Aaron Smale A second trial has started today in the High Court in Wellington in relation to the death of Karori man Rau Tongia. Tongia died in his Karori home in December 2020. During a murder trial last year in which four women stood trial on murder charges, the Crown alleged that Tongia was shot in the back while he slept. Shayde Weston who was accused of shooting Tongia, and Pania Waaka who was accused of driving Weston to Tongia's address, were both convicted of his murder. Weston's half sister Breeze Hunt-Weston was convicted of accessory after the fact to murder for helping move the gun following Tongia's death. A fourth woman, Louise Kelly Hume, was acquitted. The woman currently standing trial, who has name suppression, is accused of being a party to murder. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge. The woman was originally expected to be part of last year's trial but was excused due to health reasons. This trial, which was expected to start on Monday, has already faced delays with pre-trial matters taking up the intervening days. Jury selection then started with a kerfuffle, when the first potential juror was called only for counsel to be unable to match the name against their provided list of jurors. Justice Paul Radich explained to the jury pool after a short adjournment to sort out the matter that it had been a printing issue. Twelve jurors were then quickly selected thereafter. The trial is set down for three weeks. During the 2024 trial the Crown said in the hours before Tongia's death, Weston was with the fifth woman. Witnesses reported seeing the two women and Tongia at a party, where Weston and the fifth woman were seen kissing. Witnesses said she appeared to be trying to get a rise out of Tongia. Tongia is then alleged to have assaulted Weston while she was sleeping alone in the woman's bed. Witnesses testified to seeing Weston with black eyes after the attack and reported a second confrontation then happening in the driveway of Tongia's Percy Dyett Drive address. The Crown alleged Tongia was then shot in the back while he slept just hours later. It alleged Weston either pulled the trigger or assisted in the shooting and Waaka drove her there. In regard to the woman standing trial, the Crown believed she was also in the bedroom the night Tongia was shot.
