Two young Palmerston North men will stand trial in front of a jury in November for the murder of gay man Stanley Waipouri late last year. The men were charged with murder after Waipouri's body was discovered in a Palmerston North house on December 23, 2006. They are both remanded in custody pending the trial, which begins in Palmerston North High Court on Monday 26 November. If found guilty of murder or manslaughter, each faces a nine year to life sentence. Two JPs overseeing a depositions hearing in June, along with prosecution and defense lawyers, conceded there is a prima facie case to answer. Waipouri's death appeared to have been the result of numerous 'blunt force' blows to the head, face and neck. A pathologist said there was also some evidence of possible strangulation amongst the many injuries. Waipouri moved to Palmerston North from South Auckland to escape the misery of a world where he didn't fit in, and was a well-known member of the gay community "whose only downfall was to pick up strangers and invite them back to his flat", witnesses at the depositions hearing said.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 25th October 2007 - 12:04pm