Car break-in led to stabbing, jury told
The dramatic moment a man was allegedly stabbed in the heart by a teenage girl has been described to a jury at a High Court murder trial in Hamilton.
The confrontation was recounted yesterday at the trial, where a 16-year-old and a 14-yearold each stand accused of murdering Norman Kingi, 54, who died following the incident in a suburban street in Dinsdale, Hamilton, about 11.30pm on Friday, July 28, last year.
The Crown case against the pair alleges they were the elder two of three girls – at the time aged 15, 13 and 12 – who were caught breaking into a car owned by Kingi and his partner VickiLee Reihana. The vehicle was parked on the roadside outside their house.
The couple happened to be walking home and, seeing what was happening, ran to stop the trio. The 12-year-old was caught by the woman and held at the scene. The other two ran off as Kingi rang police.
But, as Crown prosecutor Philip Morgan QC told the jury, ‘‘they decided to return to rescue [the 12-year-old]’’ after first arming themselves with a knife and a screwdriver.
Giving evidence, Reihana said she and Kingi had seen the interior light on in the car as they approached. She had grabbed the girl who was too slow to get away, restraining her by holding her against the car door.
‘‘She was just screaming and thrashing ... I told her to shut her mouth.’’ Reihana said she heard the other girls shouting as they returned. They were yelling: ‘‘Let her go or we’ll f...ing do you.’’
As they approached Kingi, ‘‘the tall one threw a punch and I thought it was just a punch’’.
She had not realised the older girl was holding a knife.
‘‘The little girl I was holding just started screaming and screaming and I turned to look at her ... when I looked around, Norman was on the ground.’’
Kingi ‘‘was just gargling’’ when she ran to his side.
The girls ran from the scene while Reihana began screaming for help. Neighbours ran to her aid and a short time later, emergency services arrived.
Efforts were made to save Kingi’s life, but to no avail.
Morgan told the jurors they would hear that when apprehended by police later that evening, the older girl was found to have blood on her clothing.
DNA testing found the blood to be Kingi’s, Morgan said.
The two accused have interim name suppression.
Hamilton lawyer Roger Laybourn is acting for the 14-year-old, while Auckland lawyer Ron Mansfield is counsel for the 16-year-old.
In his opening statement, Mansfield said his client was acting instinctively against Kingi.
Laybourn said his client should not have been charged with murder.
‘‘When the evidence unfolds, there is nothing that she did that could make her a party to a joint action ... where death was a consequence.’’
The two defendants have communications assistants to ensure the defendants are following and understanding what is happening.