WARNING: This story contains graphic details of violence that readers may find disturbing.

High on cannabis and methamphetamine, Aaron Wilson inflicted a “highly brutal and callous” attack on his partner, frenetically stabbing her 39 times as he pinned her down on the floor.

Betty Maree Paparoa, better known has Maree, had been fighting cancer for many years, was a loyal Māori Warden of more than a decade, and a staunch advocate for those suffering abuse or suicidal thoughts.

The 46-year-old’s selfless work around not only the community but within her own whānau often saw her dropping everything to help those in need, making her murder even harder to comprehend by those who knew and loved her.

Today, her whānau told Justice Pheroze Jagose in the High Court at Hamilton how they struggled to comprehend her senseless and horrific death.

As Wilson was led away by court security to begin his sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 16 years, one of Paparoa’s siblings made their feelings clear.

“May the hounds of hell rain down on you like a tonne of bricks”, they yelled at the convicted murderer.

Four siblings had fought through tears to read their victim impact statements at the sentencing, detailing how they, their children, and their wider whānau remained haunted by how Paparoa died and grief-stricken she was no longer part of their lives.

Kristina Paparoa and Maria Lark described their sister as a “positive and uplifting wahine” who wanted to build a healthy life for her mokopuna and continue her work in suicide prevention.

Betty Maree Paparoa was a matriarch of her whānau whom many looked to for support.

Lark thought they would lose her to cancer one day, but never imagined she would end up murdered at the hands of her partner.

“I didn’t want to see the world, and I didn’t want the world to see me - [I] had to get help to learn how to breathe again... you have taken the favourite part of my life,” she told Wilson.

The ‘planned’ attack

The cruel circumstances of how Paparoa died in her Richmond St, Cambridge home were heard by the public for the first time at the sentencing, along with details of the nearly day-long manhunt for the perpetrator Wilson, who was 50 kilometres away, following the killing.

The pair had been in a relationship for a number of years after first meeting in Ngāruawāhia.

On August 8 last year, Wilson had been smoking cannabis and meth throughout the day.

That evening, Paparoa asked him questions about his past “that made him uncomfortable”.

The 43-year-old began to feel agitated. He took a knife from the kitchen and hid it under a couch in the lounge, put a razor blade on the mantle, and tucked a screwdriver away in another room before leaving for some time.

When he returned, he approached Paparoa, and as she stood to get up from the couch he stabbed her and continued stabbing her as she tried to fight him off.

Wilson told police that despite suffering 39 stab wounds, mainly to her chest area, along with six to her arm, Paparoa was still alive at that point.

He then made a 13-centimetre “largely superficial” wound to her neck before fleeing the house.

Wilson went on to visit a number of family members, telling them he had killed his partner and asking for money and petrol to help him get away.

Aaron Wilson in the High Court at Hamilton was sentenced to jail for murder. Photo / Belinda Feek

When asked by his brother how he killed her, he replied, “I stuck her”, and told his father, “I’ve done my partner in”.

He took food and alcohol from one house and asked another family member to swap cars with him.

Police received a call from Wilson’s sister at 1.16am saying, “I don’t know what I’m reporting - I’ve just had a visit from my brother claiming he’s just killed his partner”.

From Hamilton, Wilson drove to Te Aroha and Paeroa, visiting more family members and refusing their requests for him to hand himself in.

He was spotted by police driving along Stanley Ave in Te Aroha about 5.30am and fled as officers turned on their flashing lights.

The tyres of his vehicle were spiked and he fled on foot through several properties to a river, where he hid from police.

Wilson was eventually found while walking through the main street of Te Aroha and then “violently resisted arrest”.

‘Yet to show remorse’

In court, Wilson’s counsel Ann-Marie Beveridge conceded the only discount available to him would be for his guilty plea, because he was yet to show any remorse.

She urged Justice Jargoze not to invoke Section 104 of the Sentencing Act, which would result in a minimum term of 17 years’ imprisonment imposed.

Psychological reports showed Wilson had a diminished understanding of his actions as he had a low to average functioning cognitive ability, adding he was 91 per cent below others of his age.

Due to his upbringing, which was blighted by gangs, violence, alcohol and drug use, Wilson had come to view violence in the home as normal, Beveridge said.

But Justice Jargoze disagreed, citing Wilson’s comments to his pre-sentence and cultural report writers blaming Paparoa for his attack, along with eight aggravating factors that reached the Section 104 threshold.

“You planned this attack, secreting weapons and returning to the house to take Ms Paparoa by surprise.

“Your actions were not in the moment or impulsive. Your killing of Ms Paparoa was highly brutal and callous, as illustrated by your many wounds on her including... [attempting] to cut her throat while she was conscious but subdued by you,” adding that she was particularly vulnerable because she was in her own home.

He took a starting point of 17 years but then allowed a 12-month discount for Wilson’s plea, before jailing the man for a minimum of 16 years.

Justice Jargoze said Wilson did not qualify for any discount for his upbringing.

FAMILY VIOLENCE

How to get help: If you're in danger now: • Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women's Refuge: Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7)
• Shine: Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)
• It's Not Ok: Family violence information line - 0800 456 450
• Shakti: Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children.
• Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)
• Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence
• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.
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Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for eight years and been a journalist for 19.