After nearly two years, Jimmy Turu Heremaia, 32, has been publicly identified as the man charged with the murder of Ariki Rigby and the arson of the car where her body was discovered.
Alongside him, Ropine Robin Paul, also accused of aiding in the arson, was named after suppression orders were lifted this today.
Rigby, who was 18 when she was killed just weeks before her 19th birthday in September 2022, met Heremaia three weeks prior to her death. While the details of her death remain suppressed, the Crown claims Heremaia and Paul transported her body to a riverbank near Havelock North, where they set it ablaze.
A three-week trial is scheduled for both men late next year.
What leads an 18 year old beautiful being to an ugly like that?
Society is sick.
Bad company