Mellory Manning's supporters cheered and clapped as former Mongrel Mob prospect Mauha Fawcett was pronounced guilty of her 2008 murder this morning.
Fawcett, 26, showed little emotion as the jury delivered its unanimous verdict in the Christchurch High Court.
He will be sentenced in May.
During the 20-day trial, prosecutors accused Fawcett of agreeing to play a role in a Mongrel Mob operation on the night of December 18, 2008.
Several gang members worked together to abduct, rape and violently murder Ms Manning over a drug debt, the Crown alleged, beating her bloody with a pole and other weapons, stabbing her three times in the chest and strangling her before dumping the body into the Avon River.
The sex worker was found early the next morning with horrific wounds, including a large hole in her skull, deep stab wounds and dozens of bruises.
Fawcett was trying out for the gang at the time and was highly unlikely to have been the main perpetrator during the attack, the Crown said, but had played a pivotal role in the operation.
At the very least he had helped the attackers by working as a lookout, they argued, using a scanner to watch for police and helping dispose of the body. At most he had joined in with the others, helping to murder Ms Manning as he worked to earn a Mob patch and permanent place in the gang.
Brother 'absolutely ecstatic'
Outside of the court, Ms Manning's brother Rob said he was "absolutely ecstatic" with the verdict.
"This is exactly what we were hoping for. It's just a huge relief, a lot of butterflies were going on in the courtroom.
"Even in the movies, the most gruesome movie, there's nothing like the injuries that she sustained. It's terrible what actually happened to her."
Mr Manning said the outcome had brought him and the family partial closure as they wait for the police to make further arrests.
"The police have done an amazing job, just doing what they do, putting this case together and getting the right result.
"I just wanted answers about what actually happened."
Ms Manning's former partner, Kent Gorrie, declined to comment but is understood to be very pleased with the decision.
Both men had sat through most of the trial, carefully listening to evidence.
Further arrests to come
Police say the investigation into Ms Manning's death is ongoing and have hinted that there may be further arrests.
"The verdict this morning will bring some measure of relief to the family of Mellory, but I stress also that this is an ongoing investigation," inquiry head Detective Inspector Greg Williams said outside court today.
"It's very clear and evident through this trial that there were other people involved in this murder and we certainly intend on bringing those people to justice."
Police were able to obtain a full DNA profile from Ms Manning's body and are working to identify the man who left it, Det Insp Williams said.
"We believe clearly that he is closely associated to the Aotearoa Mongrel Mob or the Mongrel Mob at large [and] we've been in the process of obtaining a large amount of samples, both from within the Mongrel Mob and also from members of the public.
"We have to sit back now and reassess the evidence we currently have as a result of this. This was a stage for us in this investigation, to get this conviction."
Det Insp Williams also paid to tribute to Ms Manning's family and the "methodical and logical hard work" of his core investigation team.
Prostitute's Collective praises police
A representative of the New Zealand Prostitute's Collective also spoke out after the verdict this morning, praising the police for the investigation work.
Regional co-ordinator Anna Reed, who sat through most of the trial, said she was "so, so, so pleased" with the verdict.
"She was part of our family too," she said. "I can't praise the police work highly enough on this case, for those of us who were in that trial the detail was incredible.
"I've been there nearly every day and some of it's been really, really hard to get my head around, a lot of violence and hatred – and such a good verdict."
Ms Reed says a lot of safety measures were put in place after Ms Manning's murder and many of those are still operating today.
Fawcett's confessions key to conviction
Thanking the jury for their time and effort this morning, Justice David Gendall announced he would sentence Fawcett for his role in the murder on May 1.
The sentencing will come two years after the former gangster was initially charged and more than five years after the killing.
Fawcett was apprehended by police after making a series of confessions about his involvement in the crime - admissions which he would later claim were lies.
Six video interviews were played to the jury over the last month, showing the gangster admitting to being at the scene and bashing Ms Manning's body with a homemade pole-like weapon.
He later backtracked, saying he only watched on and barked like a dog while she was killed, but admitted to helping the others by working as a lookout.
During the trial, however, Fawcett denied all involvement in the attack and told the jury he'd lied to investigators. He said it was a "stupid" mistake that saw him charged with a murder he didn't commit.
However, other witnesses gave evidence that supported his involvement in the crime, including a friend who said the accused had visited her home with blood on his clothes.
Later he allegedly told her he had "done something bad", something that was giving him nightmares, and then fled Christchurch out of fear of the Mob.
A former Mongrel Mob member also testified about a confession, saying Fawcett had admitted to watching the attack and then stabbing Ms Manning's body - but only when she was already dead.
The police investigation into the 2008 murder is ongoing and Fawcett may later be asked to give evidence against other mobsters who were allegedly at the scene.
3 News
source: newshub archive
