Air rifle murder case underway

Glenn McDonald is accused of murdering Keith Kahi last year with an air rifle. Photo / file

Glenn McDonald was in a "volatile and perhaps paranoid" state when he shot his flatmate seven times with a high-powered air rifle, a court has heard.

McDonald has pleaded not guilty at the High Court in Auckland to murdering Keith Kahi.

Kahi was found lying in a Botany Downs' driveway in July last year.

The 44-year-old was shot seven times and died from internal bleeding after two of the air rifle pellets punctured his lungs and liver.

Crown prosecutor Nathan Speir said the two men had been flatmates but became "embroiled in an argument" before Mr Kahi was shot dead.

Police later found security cameras installed outside the house, and an electronic fingerprint security key on the door from the garage to the house.

In the living room they found a "ghost phone" which looks like a normal cell phone but allows the owner to plant the phone and listen into conversations.

Mr Speir outlined the background to the case and said McDonald was friends with a woman called Analese Dobson.

"She saw them as friends. He wanted more."

He said in the weeks leading up to the alleged murder, McDonald had become suspicious about Kahi's relationship with Ms Dobson.

"Paranoia about Mr Kahi and Ms Dobson appears to have become a catalyst for what happened on the fourth of July."

Mr Speir said McDonald sent text messages which showed McDonald "was building up to a confrontation with someone".

One of the messages read: "About to drop a bomb in a few people's laps to say: 'thanks for the head f***'."

Mr Speir said Kahi decided to move out from the Botany Downs house.

But before he could finish loading his gear into his car, Mr Kahi was shot seven times by a high-powered air rifle.

He was found at the bottom of the driveway and died later at Middlemore Hospital.

Mr Speir said that night McDonald went around to his friend Tania Preece's home.

He said Mrs Preece's husband had shot a man with the same type of high-powered air rifle in 2008 and had stood trial only three weeks before Mr Kahi was shot dead.

The name of the Mrs Preece's husband has been suppressed.

Mr Speir said Mrs Preece talked with McDonald until 4.30am

He said McDonald told Mrs Preece that he had shot Mr Kahi in the living room.

Mr Speir told the jury that both McDonald and Mr Kahi "appeared to be heavy users of methamphetamine".

McDonald's lawyer Mark Edgar told the jury that the fact that Mr Kahi was shot with an air rifle is not disputed.

"What the case is about is why, why was Mr Kahi shot with an air rifle."

He said where people were standing in the living room is not known and there is only one person who knows what happened and that is McDonald.

The trial continues.