A coroner has determined that John Beckenridge killed himself and his 11-year-old stepson Mike Zhou-Beckenridge in a deliberate crash off a Southland cliff in 2015, rejecting claims they staged their deaths and fled overseas.
Coroner Marcus Elliot found Beckenridge acted out of anger and vindictiveness towards his estranged wife, concluding the murder-suicide theory was far more plausible than an elaborate escape plan.
Evidence from police and an engineering expert indicated the vehicle could not have been remotely controlled and there was no sign of staging.
Despite ongoing belief from the boy’s mother that he may still be alive, the coroner ruled both died in the crash, with their bodies lost at sea.
So if they crashed, has the vehicle been recovered? Otherwise it is an inconclusive conclusion.