A trial date has been set for next year for a teenager accused of having murdered 56-year-old Joseph King at the Off Broadway Motel in Epsom last month. 

The 19-year-old wore teal shorts and a faded green T-shirt as he appeared in the dock today for his first appearance in the High Court at Auckland, where the trial will be heard. 

Justice Downs set a trial date for October 2024. It is set to last three weeks. 

During the brief appearance, the judge also ordered interim name suppression to remain for the timebeing. The defendant waved at family as he was shepherded away from the courtroom and back into custody. 

Authorities were called to the Alpers Ave motel around 7.25pm on Wednesday, August 23, following reports of a man there with serious injuries. King died at the scene. 

Police later described the death as an isolated incident, noting that King and the defendant knew each other. 

The defendant entered a not guilty plea the following day, when he appeared in Auckland District Court via audio-visual link. 

Joseph King was killed at the Off Broadway Motel on Alpers Ave in Epsom in Auckland on Wednesday night, August 23, 2023. Photo/Supplied 

King, who had been living at the motel for several months, was described by family after his death as a kind, loving, humble and caring man. 

“He was always positive and down to earth,” sister-in-law Jonelle Wereta previously said, describing him as a “happy-go-lucky guy. 

“He was the life of the party and he was glamorous.” 

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.