A man accused of fatally stabbing a man in the Bay of Plenty town of Kawerau now faces a murder charge.
The 31-year-old unemployed man was originally charged with assault but police on Tuesday upgraded the charge to murder.
The man, who has name suppression, will appear in the Whakatane District Court on Wednesday.
A 29-year-old man was found in his house in Holyoake Crescent house with wounds to his neck last Thursday.
