Shayde Carolyn Weston, Breeze Hunt-Weston, Louise Kelly Hume and Pania Ella Waaka. Photo: Stuff / Juan Zarama Perini
The jury have reached a unanimous verdict after a nearly three-month long murder trial into the death of Rau Tongia.
Shayde Weston, Breeze Hunt-Weston, Louise Kelly Hume, and Pania Waaka all pleaded not guilty to the murder of Tongia, who the Crown allege was shot in the back while he slept at a house in Wellington's Karori in December 2020.
Hunt-Weston also faced two other charges.
For Weston, the jury reached a verdict of guilty of murder.
For Hunt-Weston, the jury has found her guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and of accessory after the fact to murder, but not guilty to murder.
For Waaka, the jury has found her guilty on the charge of murder.
For Hume, the jury has found her not guilty of either murder or manslaughter.
Following her acquittal, Hume was in tears.
A fifth woman was also set to go on trial charged with murder but was excused due to health reasons. Her name is suppressed.
Sentencing will be on 19 September.
The trial was initially scheduled to begin on the 13 May and was set down for eight weeks.
After two weeks of delays, the Crown kicked off its case on 27 May, spearheaded by Crown Prosecutor Sally Carter.
The Crown alleged in the hours before Tongia's death, he assaulted Weston and his death was a revenge killing.
What happened in the hours before Rau Tongia was killed?
The Crown said in the hours before Tongia's death, Weston was with the fifth woman.
Witnesses reported seeing the two women and Tongia at a party, where Weston and the fifth woman were seen kissing.
Witnesses said she appeared to be trying to get a rise out of Tongia.
Tongia is then alleged to have assaulted Weston while she was sleeping alone in the woman's bed.
Witnesses testified to seeing Weston with black eyes after the attack and reported a second confrontation then happening in the driveway of Tongia's Percy Dyett Drive address.
Evidence was given that Weston's sister Hunt-Weston and cousin Phoenix Colvin came to the address from Halswell Lodge to get her, along with another person.
There Hunt-Weston admitted to hitting Tongia in the head with a hammer.
She maintained it was in self-defence in response to Tongia attacking Weston again.
CCTV footage tracked Colvin's car between Halswell Lodge and Percy Dyett Drive, then out to Onslow Road - where the Crown alleges that the gun that was used was collected from Hume's address.
Hume during the trial gave evidence that she had not organised a gun.
Tongia's death
The Crown alleged Tongia was shot in the back while he slept shortly after 4.30am.
CCTV footage tracked Hunt-Weston's car going from Halswell Lodge back to Karori shortly before 4.30am.
The Crown alleged Hunt-Weston had told Waaka to drive the car, and that a witness had seen a person, alleged to be Weston, with a shotgun by the side of Tongia's house. The Crown believed Weston either pulled the trigger or assisted in the shooting.
Google Maps data from Waaka's phone placed it outside the address on Percy Dyett Drive around the same time, and Waaka has admitted to driving the car.
In her closing Waaka's lawyer said she did not know there was a gun in the car. Weston's lawyer meanwhile said his client didn't do it, while Hunt-Weston's lawyer maintained her client didn't know her car had been used.
The Crown said the fifth woman was also believed to have been in a bedroom the night Tongia was shot while he slept.
