Police at the scene of an alleged axe murder in Pukemiro in 2019. Photo / Doug SherringA man accused of a 2019 axe murder has been acquitted and instead found guilty of manslaughter. A jury of seven men and three women also acquitted Rydell Martin on a charge of assault with an axe. Through his lawyer Philip Morgan, QC, Martin had defended both charges; claiming self-defence on the assault charge and manslaughter on the murder charge as he never intended to kill Macpherson. The metre-long axe used to kill Macpherson sat at the front of the courtroom as Justice Peters went through the criteria needed to find him guilty or not guilty of the charges.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 16, 2021 02:21 UTC