Apartment death charge now murder

The Quadrant on Waterloo Quay in Auckland city, where Farasad Razani was found dead yesterday. Photo / Greg Bowker

A 31-year-old man arrested after the death of a flatmate in downtown Auckland at the weekend has been charged with murder.

Farasad Razani, 30, was found dead yesterday in an apartment at The Quadrant apartment block in Waterloo Quadrant.

Mohammad Hamid-Zadeh, originally from Iran, appeared in Auckland District Court this afternoon.

Dressed in a white boiler suit and speaking through a Farsi interpreter, he did not enter a plea to one charge of murder and was remanded in custody to reappear on November 16.

Police and ambulance were called to the apartment about 7.15am yesterday and found the dead man.

There were two other people in the apartment, Hamid-Zadeh and a 30-year-old person whose gender Detective Senior Sergeant Gerry Whitley would not reveal.

Mr Whitley said Mr Razani and the other two people at the apartment all lived there and the homicide was the result of a domestic dispute which involved only the people that lived in that apartment.

"I want to reassure the public that we're not looking for anybody else and that there's no danger to the public. We have spoken to and arrested the person that we believe is involved in this homicide."

He said police did not believe the deceased had any next of kin.

Investigators were expected to remain at the apartment for about two days.

- NZPA