Murdered stop/go worker George Taiaroa (NZ Herald)

Winders pleads not guilty in Taiaroa murder trail

News
Crime

Author: Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2016, 12:16pm

UPDATED 3.13pm: The Crown has concluded its opening statement to the jury in the murder trial for the man accused of killing stop-go worker George Taiaroa.

Quinton Winders has pleaded not guilty to killing Mr Taiaroa in March 2013.

Crown prosecutor Amanda Gordon says there are 14 phases of evidence to prove Winders is guilty of the murder.

Ms Gordon identified the vehicle owned by accused Quinton Winders, a dark blue Jeep Cherokee, as one of the main reasons for Winders guilt.

The vehicle driven by the murderer will be a key focus for the Crown as well as a .22 rifle believed to be the murder weapon.

Ms Gordon says a key piece of evidence is the fact that Winders appeared panicked when police said to media they were looking for the jeep.

Winders was also heard telling a witness police were looking for a .22 rifle - before a weapon had ever been mentioned by police to media.

The blue jeep was seen pulling up beside Mr Taiaroa while he was working, then speeding away when Mr Taiaroa fell to the ground.

A witness in a truck saw this event and told police a man in a blue cherokee shot a worker.

Winders also had a rifle that was found to have been fired recently, with bullets for the rifle matching the one that killed Mr Taiaroa.

Ms Gordon acknowledged the murder weapon has still not been found nor was there any DNA evidence.

The Crown has also linked a minor crash to the "inexplicable" murder of Taiaroa.

The jury heard that Winders and his father were involved in a minor crash a week before the murder, at a bridge operated by Mr Taiaroa, who was sitting on his vehicle with the sign propped up by a road cone.

Winders father overshot the stop-go sign, before reversing and crashing into a vehicle behind him, causing minor damage totalling just under one thousand dollars.

Winders was heard saying that if the stop-go guy had been doing his job properly, then the crash would not have happened.

The Crown has alleged that the crash played on Winders' mind, culminating in him shooting Mr Taiaroa in his head.

Winders was formally arrested and charged in November last year.

Defence lawyer Jonathan Temm will next give his opening statement.

The trial is set to last about 4 weeks in the High Court in Rotorua.

The seven women and five men jury was selected from over 140 people.