A man has pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of a homeless Aucklander.
Justin Vance Turner, 28, went on the run after police launched an investigation into the death of Maqbool Hussain, who was found in Balmoral on March 22.
He was eventually tracked down in Taupo and charged with murder.
Turner initially denied the charge but in the High Court at Auckland this morning, he changed that plea.
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It is understood the crime will attract a second-strike warning when he is sentenced in December.