Trio plead not guilty
The trio charged with the murder of a Taranaki farmworker have pleaded not guilty to the alleged killing.
William
Candy, 39, faces charges of murder and kidnapping,
Jodie Shannon
Hughes, 30, is charged with murder, kidnapping and burglary, while 18-year-old
Ethan Webster faces a murder charge.
The trio are accused of killing Jacob
Ramsay, after his body was found at an
Upper Kina Rd address in
Oaonui, South
Taranaki on July 31.
The 33-year-old father was employed as a farmworker at the time of his death.
The three accused all lived on the same road as Ramsay.
Court documents show Candy and Hughes lived together at an Upper Kina Rd property, while Webster lived on the road but at a different address.
During their appearance in the High Court at New Plymouth yesterday, all three were deemed to have entered not guilty pleas to the charges they face.
Justice Rebecca Ellis advised of a possible trial date of August 14, 2023, before remanding each into custody ahead of a case review hearing on October 21.
Candy and Webster appeared via audio-visual link from Whanganui prison, while Hughes was on remand at Arohata prison.
Interim name suppression was granted at the group’s initial court hearings, but this lapsed yesterday, and no fresh application was made.
Ramsay’s wife Sarah was present in court, as were other members of his family, along with supporters for Hughes.
Ahead of the High Court hearing, Justice Ellis granted media applications to photograph the accused.
A Givealittle page for Ramsay’s family had so far raised more than $12,000.