‘He said he’s going to kill me’

Ex-wife of murder-accused tells of alleged carpark attack that left her workmate dead

Awoman has described to a jury the frightening moments her ex-husband tried to stab her to death after the relationship failed. Soafa Niumagumagu is on trial in the High Court at Auckland for stabbing Puapuaga Matamua at her workplace in Māngere Bridge on June 20, 2019, just days after the pair separated. Matamua had moved in with a new partner.

He then fatally hit another woman — a colleague of Matamua’s who came to her aid — with his car.

Sagaia Kaisalaw, 32, died at the scene.

Matamua suffered stab wounds but was discharged from hospital.

Niumagamaga has been charged with murder, attempted murder and assault with a weapon.

Matamua told the courtroom she and Niumagamaga, who she’d been married to for nine years, had talked over the phone since the separation, but not in person until June 20, 2019.

When she finished working at Oji Fibre Solutions on Mahunga Drive for the day she headed to her car, where Niumagamaga was waiting for her. The pair spoke for a few minutes before she tried to get in the vehicle.

“He said to me he’s going to kill me on that day,” she told the jury.

“He pulled a weapon from his pocket . . . I was inside the car. I tried to close [the driver’s door] but he was there.”

Matamua said the weapon was like a nail or long screwdriver.

“I wanted to run away from him but he tried to hold me and push me to the car and put the nail wherever he could,” she said.

Matamua said she was calling for help and bleeding, but he kept using the weapon on her head and she tried to kick him because she said: “I know, I’m going to die that day.”

Matamua’s boss and Kaisalaw, a colleague from Oji Fibre Solutions, came rushing to her aid and pulled Niumagumagu off her.

“The lady who passed away is the only one that helped me that day,” Matamua said.

“She pulled me out and told me to sit on the smoking area steps and put T-shirt and rags on areas where my body was bleeding.”

Five minutes later Niumagumagu left on foot as Matamua’s boss called the police.

Then she heard his car racing from Hastie Ave.

The court heard that in the weeks leading up to June 20, Niumagumagu had conversations at his workplace about his relationship with his wife.

Phillip Terepai told the courtroom he had a tearful exchange with him — they talked about his wife leaving him and how he should focus on caring for his daughter.

Penilope Vaa said he had more than one conversation with Niumagumagu about his relationship with his wife.

“It seems like things are torn apart.” Vaa added: “He used wording in Sāmoan language for painful thing . . . he never said he was going to kill someone but said he would hurt someone to finish the pain.”

The trial continues.