The family of Patrick Reweti, a 49-year-old man fatally stabbed and burned in Hastings, is devastated after his killer, Chalton Mason Lawson, was found not guilty of murder and arson due to insanity.
Lawson, a methamphetamine user suffering from psychosis, had never met Reweti before the March 2024 attack, in which he stabbed him in the neck without warning, then torched the car with Reweti’s body inside.
The High Court in Napier ruled Lawson’s actions stemmed from severe mental illness, ordering his indefinite detention in a secure forensic unit.
Reweti’s grieving mother and daughter condemned the verdict as a disgrace and a failure of justice.
Speaking to media outside court, Reweti’s mother Pauline Dixon said she was “absolutely disgusted” at the decision, calling it an “absolute disgrace”.
“Patrick was loved beyond words. He is missed beyond measure,” she said.
How sad, prayers go to the family.
Do we need to vigilante this cnts arse to make the corrupt justice system realise they need to do more. We come for the perpetrator then we come for there supporters.