NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Death in a recliner chair: Detective recounts 'disgusting' Māngere scene

Craig Kapitan
By Craig Kapitan
Senior Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
17 Jun, 2021 05:38 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Stroke victim Lanitola Epenisa died in 2016. His widow, Malia Li, is on trial for manslaghter.

Stroke victim Lanitola Epenisa died in 2016. His widow, Malia Li, is on trial for manslaghter.

Warning: Contains graphic evidence.

Given his profession, Detective Michael Abbot says he has a "bit of a threshold" for scenes that might churn the stomachs of those uninitiated in police work.

But even he had to take frequent breaks due to the "overpowering stench" while examining the room where Lanitola Epenisa, 48, was found dead in a recliner chair October 2016.

"It was a difficult environment to work in," he told jurors in the High Court at Auckland as the weeks-long manslaughter trial of Malia Li, Epenisa's widow, continues.

"The smell initially was not foreign to me. But definitely moving things around, lifting things was kind of the next step."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Epenisa, a father of two and former stone wall builder, had suffered two strokes two years earlier and could no longer walk or clean himself.

Li, a former Healthcare NZ worker, is accused of neglecting her husband of nearly 20 years to the point where his untreated pressure sores became fused with the chair he was found dead in.

Abbot described walking through a decrepit Māngere home "with various building extensions and lean-tos" — in which there were ants in the kitchen sugar pot, holes in the floors and the ceilings of other rooms and rats scurrying across at least two bedrooms.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Upon examining Epenisa's room, Abbot recalled finding a black bag under other bags of dirty laundry.

"There was an overwhelming stench of urine and faeces as I opened the bag and the air hit me," he recalled.

"The black bag contained soiled blankets and faeces-laden clothing and cloths. There were maggots present in the bag as well."

He also noted a "sodden", stained rug underneath the recliner and mouse droppings.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

Manslaughter trial: Wife refuses offer to take sick husband to doctor

28 May 03:40 AM
New Zealand|crime

Woman allegedly left husband fused to recliner chair with 'sores all over his body'

24 May 03:28 AM
New Zealand|crime

Death in a recliner chair: Local board member claims man was 'very sick and fragile'

25 May 04:53 AM
New Zealand|crime

Manslaughter trial: Man believed dead for some time before paramedics arrived

16 Jun 12:27 AM

"As I moved the La-Z-Boy chair, a mouse actually ran out from inside the chair," he said, adding that when he opened a rubbish-strewn cupboard next to the chair "multiple mice ran in all directions".

"It was at that point I realised there had been a rodent nest next to the deceased's location," Abbot said, describing the overall area as "disgusting".

The detective also noted a 1.5-litre plastic bottle next to the chair that appeared to contain a mixture of urine and blood, as well as a singlet that appeared to have "strips of skin" where the garment would have been in contact with Epenisa's back and buttocks.

"The La-Z-Boy itself appeared to be soaked in urine," he said.

Defence lawyer Mark Ryan pointed out that there were other bottles in the home that could have been used for medication, and that there were four people living in the room.

During his earlier opening statement, Ryan promised to call an expert witness who will say the pressure sores were very recent. The defendant did not fail to take reasonable steps to prevent the sores from developing or worsening, he has said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Throughout the trial, witnesses called by Crown prosecutors have described Epenisa's room — even before his death — as smelling "really, really disgusting", "like a dirty pig" and "like a dead rat". New witness Allan Wheeler, a then-New Zealand Police officer who responded to the scene of Epenisa's death, joined the chorus.

Malia Li stands trial for manslaughter, following her husband Lanitola Epenisa's death in 2016. Michael Craig / NZME
Malia Li stands trial for manslaughter, following her husband Lanitola Epenisa's death in 2016. Michael Craig / NZME

"Something's not right," he recalled a paramedic saying as he arrived at the property in the middle of the night on October 2, 2016.

As he entered Epenisa's room, he spotted a can of deodorising spray but it did no good, he said.

"The smell was quite intense — it's hard to describe," he testified.

"It was hard to deal with at the time — just an intense, intense smell."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Napier man arrested after military-style guns found in children's bedrooms

08 Jul 07:17 AM
New Zealand|crime

Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar

08 Jul 07:00 AM
New Zealand

'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim

08 Jul 06:30 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Napier man arrested after military-style guns found in children's bedrooms

Napier man arrested after military-style guns found in children's bedrooms

08 Jul 07:17 AM

The man is facing 14 charges, including unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.

Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar

Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar

08 Jul 07:00 AM
'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim

'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim

08 Jul 06:30 AM
'Terrified': Father and daughter hostages speak of Nelson stand-off ordeal

'Terrified': Father and daughter hostages speak of Nelson stand-off ordeal

08 Jul 06:16 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP