Killer declined parole again
A man who stabbed his second cousin, who was also his partner’s ex, has been declined an early release from prison, partly because of controlling behaviour he showed towards someone he was in a relationship with while in jail.
Hendrix Vai Ariki is serving five years and one month’s jail for the manslaughter of John Tui Anderson, who he killed in Palmerston North in April, 2015.
Ariki was in a relationship with Anderson’s ex-partner at the time.
The couple were at home on Linton St when Anderson started walking up the driveway.
Ariki believed Anderson was threatening to harm him, so he grabbed a knife and hid behind a door.
He stabbed Anderson as he walked through the doorway, severing blood vessels.
Anderson collapsed in the driveway and later died in hospital.
Ariki was initially charged with murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter when the Crown downgraded the charge.
He has appeared before the Parole Board before and was once again declined release at his latest hearing in February. According to its report, the board heard Ariki had done rehabilitation programmes and wanted to do guided releases.
However, he needed a prison transfer to do them due to concerns from victims.
His family had moved house to get an approved property for him to be released to.
But the board had concerns about a report it was given in January, which noted he had engaged in manipulative and controlling behaviour to someone over the phone. Ariki accepted he had threatened the person, but ended the relationship when he realised his ‘‘freedom was on the line’’.
The board was not sure how honest Ariki was about the relationship. A previous parole hearing heard he did not intend to have contact with that person, yet it appeared to have continued, the board said.
As Ariki’s crime arose in the context of a relationship, he needed to work to deal with his sense of entitlement before he could be released, the board said.
He will next be considered for parole by the end of November.
Ariki’s sentence ends in November, 2020.