20 Nov 2013

Portman jury retires for second night

6:34 pm on 20 November 2013

The jury in the Rae Portman murder trial has retired for a second night without reaching any verdicts.

Ms Portman was pregnant when she went missing in June 2012. Her body was found in a pit on a South Auckland farm three months later.

The Crown says the 33-year-old Hamilton woman was kidnapped and killed in cold blood by Paraire Te Awa in a drugs deal that went wrong.

Mr Te Awa denies kidnapping and murdering her, while Dean Addison denies kidnapping and drugs charges.

On Wednesday, jurors returned to the High Court in Auckland to watch about 20 minutes of a police interview with Mr Te Awa.

They will return on Thursday to continue their deliberations.