24 Apr 2013

Cold case trial adjourned

3:45 pm on 24 April 2013

The trial of a man accused of killing a service station attendant almost 34 years ago has been adjourned until Monday.

Rodney Tahu, 31, was shot in the head and shoulder in Turangi on 16 August 1979 and died in hospital.

The trial of Menzies Hallett, 72, in the Rotorua High Court was adjourned on Wednesday so the judge can hear legal argument from counsel.

Earlier in the day, the court heard evidence from a pathologist who conducted a post-mortem on Mr Tahu.

Ronald Ensor said in his opinion, Mr Tahu was shot first in the shoulder. He described a second gunshot wound to the head as a finishing-off job.

When asked by the judge to elaborate on what experience he had, Mr Ensor said he had performed a lot of post-mortems, many of them gunshot wounds.