The jury has finished hearing evidence in the trial of two men charged over the Red Fox Tavern shooting and robbery more than 30 years ago.
The Red Fox Tavern in Maramarua. Photo: Google Maps
Publican and father of two Chris Bush, 43, was gunned down at the pub in Maramarua in October 1987, and the offenders fled with tens of thousands of dollars.
Mark Hoggart and another man with name suppression are on trial in the High Court at Auckland charged with murder and aggravated robbery, which they deny.
Lawyers for the unnamed man called their final witness this morning, while lawyers for Hoggart elected not to call evidence.
It is the Crown's case that the accused pair were the two heavily disguised men who burst into the tavern not long before midnight, one armed with a sawn-off shotgun and the other with a bat.
The Crown alleges the men had planned the robbery and were prepared to use violence if necessary to get what they were after - the money in the safe.
The Crown said the pair's movements before and after the shooting were consistent with them having been responsible for the crime, and the unnamed man had hinted to associates about his involvement.
Lawyers for the two defendants have argued the wrong men are on trial and someone else is responsible for the crime.
The unnamed man's defence lawyer, Christopher Stevenson, called evidence from a prison inmate, who said another man who police had ruled out as a suspect had confessed to him in jail about being responsible for the Red Fox Tavern shooting and robbery.
Lawyers will begin their closing addresses to the jury of seven men and five women next week.
