A man accused of murdering Shalvin Prasad sent a text message to the dead man's phone, days after Mr Prasad's smouldering body was found.
Shivneel Kumar (left) and Bryne Permal (far right) in the High Court in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Shivneel Kumar and Bryne Permal have denied charges of murder and are on trial at the High Court in Auckland.
Today, Detective Sergeant Michele Gillespie read out a text message sent by Mr Kumar to Mr Prasad.
"Bro, RIP… Whoever did this to you deserves to be in jail for good…. Can't believe you're gone, man, and I saw you that day."
The text message ends with Mr Kumar telling Mr Prasad he will forever be missed.
Despite the message, the Crown says Mr Kumar was one of the men responsible for the murder.
Details of the bank accounts of Mr Kumar and Mr Permal, both in their early 20s, were also read out in the High Court in Auckland today.
Mr Kumar and Mr Permal had overdrawn their accounts by $4269 and $5820 dollars respectively.
Detective Simon Taylor examined the accounts of the accused as well as Mr Prasad, who withdrew his savings of $30,000 dollars shortly before he was killed.
Mr Taylor told the court how the pair spent money on various items including a computer, tyres and gym equipment.
