Morris death: Suspect charged

Millie Elder-Holmes and Connor Morris.PHOTO/FILE

A 33-year-old Massey man made a brief appearance before two Justices of the Peace in the Kaitaia District Court yesterday charged with the murder of Connor Morris in Auckland on August 3.

He was granted name suppression and remanded in custody appear in the Auckland High Court on September 3.

The man was arrested by Auckland police in the Kaitaia area yesterday, his court appearance taking place without media notification, a measure designed to negate any potential for disorder in court.

It is not known if the arrested man has gang affiliations and he is not believed to be local to the Kaitaia area.

He was arrested in the Far North town early on Sunday and appeared in a closed court on a charge of murder.

Mr Morris, routinely described by media as the partner of six years of Millie Elder-Holmes, the daughter of the late broadcaster Sir Paul Holmes, suffered a fatal head injury during a disturbance outside a party in the West Auckland suburb of Massey.

Last week, a Sunday newspaper reported that two men who lived at an address in the immediate vicinity of the attack had gone into hiding amid fears of retaliation, and on police advice.

They had reportedly not returned home since the death of Mr Morris, who had strong links to the Head Hunters gang.

After Mr Morris suffered the fatal head injury, Ms Elder-Holmes ran to where he was lying and cradled him as he lay dying. She credited Mr Morris with saving her life by getting her off P.

About 200 gang members from across Auckland were among mourners who paid their last respects to Mr Morris, 26, the son of prominent Head Hunters member Chris Morris, at the east chapter's fight club in Ellerslie in early August.

Friends of Mr Morris wasted no time in spreading the news of the accused man's arrest on social media yesterday.

Within minutes of police releasing the news of the arrest, dozens of people had posted to the Facebook page RIP Connor Morris.