Shayde Carolyn Weston, Breeze Hunt-Weston, Louise Kelly Hume and Pania Ella Waaka. Photo: Stuff / Juan Zarama Perini
Defence for the lead defendant in the Karori murder trial says his client did not shoot Rau Tongia and the science supports that.
Four women are on trial at the High Court in Wellington for the death of Tongia, who was found dead in his home in 2020.
Shayde Weston, Breeze Hunt-Weston, Pania Waaka and Louise Kelly Hume have all pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
A fifth woman was set to go a trial but was excused for health reasons.
The Crown alleges the fifth woman was in the room when Tongia was shot.
Defence for Weston
Lawyer for Weston, Robert Lithgow, kicked off the defence's closing statements on Friday.
He said Weston had said she did not shoot Tongia and evidence given by Police proves there was no gunshot residue on her clothes.
The Crown's case was that earlier in the evening Weston had been at a party with Tongia and the fifth woman and that woman had kissed Weston.
Later that night when Weston was sleeping Tongia assaulted her.
The Crown alleged that when Weston was picked up from Tongia's address, the women, including Breeze Hunt-Weston, then went out to the address of Hume, known as "Aunty Kelly".
The driver of the car, Phoenix Colvin, gave evidence she went there to pick up her wallet.
But the Crown alleged the women went to Hume's address to pick up the gun used to later kill Tongia.
A phone message recording played during the trial appeared to show Tongia angry with the fifth woman after Weston had left, and Hume then received a text from the woman says she was being attacked.
The Crown's case was that an incoherent follow up text sent to Hume was a signal for Hume to organise a gun.
Texts the woman later sent to Weston, the Crown alleged, was a signal for Weston to come to the house.
But Lithgow suggested the answer of how Tongia was killed lay with the people who were in that house when the gun went off.
He believed the fifth woman and the people around her had more motive than Weston.
Defence for Waaka
Lawyer for Pania Waaka, Letizea Ord, said her client had not knowingly or willingly become involved with Tongia's death.
The Crown alleged Waaka drove Weston to Percy Dyett Drive in Karori, in order to kill Tongia.
Ord said Waaka did not dispute that she had driven the car, but she was not party to a murder.
Ord said there was no evidence that Waaka was part of a plan to go to Percy Dyett Drive and confront Tongia, nor that she had anything to do with a gun before the trip.
Ord said Waaka had not been involved in the earlier altercation on Percy Dyett Drive, and only became aware of Weston's involvement when she saw her injuries.
She said the Crown had not been able to point to one shred of evidence that Waaka had anything to do with Tongia's death other than driving the car that evening.
Ord said Waaka just happened to be up from Christchurch at the time.
She said Waaka is a second cousin of Weston and Hunt-Weston, but was at Halswell Lodge that evening on the invitation of someone else. She said Waaka had no reason to get involved.
Ord said Waaka had also known Tongia when she was younger and the two had recently reconnected online.
She said Waaka had been regretful after finding out that Tongia had died and had eventually been the one to tell police what had happened.
Defence for Hunt-Weston and Hume will make their closing statements next week.
