Whakatāne homicide: Murder and manslaughter-accused in Rickah’Shae Keefe-Haerewa case named

Two women have been charged in relation to the death of Rickah'Shae Keefe-Haerewa, also known as Joppy.

The two women charged in relation to the death of 8-year-old Te Teko boy Rickah’Shae Keefe-Haerewa can now be named.

They are 25-year-old Maya Hati and 61-year-old Pauline Timu.

Hati has been charged with murder, following an initial charge of assaulting a child. Timu faces a charge of manslaughter.

Both women remain in custody after Hati’s lawyer Caitlin Gentleman indicated, during a High Court appearance on Tuesday, that her client would not pursue a bail application at this stage.

At Timu’s first appearance on December 10, she hadn’t been assigned a lawyer. She was remanded in custody, and no application for bail was made.

She was granted interim name suppression until December 17. The High Court has confirmed an application for continued name suppression has not been made and her name suppression order has lapsed.

Both Hati and Timu are expected to return to the High Court in February, when pleas may be entered.

Family members of Rickah’Shae were present in court on Tuesday, as well as family and supporters for Hati.

Emotions ran high for both families; as Hati’s family expressed their love and support for her as she left the dock, a single voice from the boy’s family was heard to allege, “You killed my baby”.

Rickah'Shae Keefe-Haerewa, also known as Joppy. Police launched a homicide investigation, and have laid charges against two women, after the 8-year-old died at Whakatāne hospital, following an alleged assault.

Family members and supporters of Rickah’Shae wore “Forever 8″ hoodies, and custom-made remembrance T-shirts.

At the previous appearance for both Hati and Timu, in the Whakatāne District Court, whānau sobbed over his urn in the public gallery.

Police were called to Whakatāne Hospital on November 15 after Rickah’Shae died, following an alleged assault.

Hannah Bartlett is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail, and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB.