32-year-old Auckland man Jimmy Heremaia has pleaded guilty to the 2022 murder of 18-year-old Ariki Rigby, whose body was found in a burnt-out car in Havelock North.
According to court documents, the fatal attack followed a dispute over a Mongrel Mob t-shirt Rigby had worn in public—an act perceived as a serious violation of gang rules.
After being ordered by gang superiors to retrieve the shirt, Heremaia later accused Rigby of causing his gang patch to be confiscated.
The confrontation escalated when Rigby swung a weapon at him, which he blocked before fatally striking her multiple times. He then placed her body in a car and, with the assistance of co-defendant Ropine Paul, set it on fire to destroy evidence.
Detective Inspector David De Lange of Eastern District Police acknowledged the guilty pleas entered by Heremaia and Paul—who admitted to an arson charge—and commended the meticulous efforts of police investigators.
He also recognided the long wait endured by Rigby’s family for justice.
Heremaia and Paul, arrested months after the killing following a plea from Rigby’s family for information, will be sentenced at the High Court in Napier on April 11. Initially treated as an unexplained death, the case became a homicide investigation after officers reviewing the burnt vehicle failed to realise Rigby’s remains were inside for two days.
Tells You something
Scum gangs.