The man who brutally murdered and sexually violated Wanganui barmaid Tania McKenzie on her 20th birthday will be sentenced tomorrow.
Shane Daniel Randle, 28, was found guilty in March of murder and two counts of sexual violation after a jury trial in the High Court at Wellington.
Ms
McKenzie's naked and brutally beaten body was found floating in the Whanganui River on January 7, 2005 after a night out drinking to celebrate her birthday.
The court was told the degree of force used when Ms McKenzie's head was smashed was the equivalent of that from an aircraft crash or a high speed collision.
There was no forensic evidence on Ms McKenzie's body because it had been washed away but her DNA was found in Randle's washing machine and on a towel at his house.
The crown said Randle, who worked as a bouncer at the Red Lion Inn where Ms McKenzie was a barmaid, killed her after she rejected his advances.
Randle claimed during the trial his lover Dana Perry murdered Ms McKenzie.
Randle reacted violently when found guilty at the end of his trial, spitting at a policeman and lunging at a prison officer.
Crown prosecutor Andrew Cameron has indicated the crown may apply for a sentence of preventive detention.
- NZPA
