Dunedin homicide: Man in court on murder charge, victim named

A man has appeared in Dunedin District Court charged with murder after a body was found in North Dunedin on Friday. Photo /Ben Tomsett

A 25-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder after the discovery of a body in Dunedin on Friday.

The body of Aneli Helu Katea, 36, was discovered at an address on Great King St in North Dunedin on Friday.

The defendant appeared in the Dunedin District Court before Judge Hermann Retzlaff this afternoon, facing one charge of murder.

Court documents allege the man killed Katea in Dunedin on Friday October 3.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Judge Retzlaff directed that a report be prepared to explore the man’s fitness and insanity under request from Counsel Anne Stevens KC, who also sought name suppression.

A mental health report will also be prepared.

The man was remanded in custody without plea until his next appearance in the Dunedin High Court on October 21.

On Saturday, Detective Inspector Shona Low, Southern District crime manager, said police received reports of a sudden death at a property on Great King St about 2pm and found a 36-year-old man deceased at the scene.

“The pair are believed to have been known to each other,” a police statement said.

A neighbour told the Herald they were at home on Friday afternoon when they heard what they believed was a man’s scream.

Dunedin police received reports of a sudden death at a property on Great King St on Friday afternoon. Photo / Ben Tomsett

They said they thought the area where the investigation is taking place was an empty lot.

“It’s always just looked like a dump.”

Debris and building materials could be seen strewn throughout the area beyond the police cordon.

A scene guard was in place over the weekend as a forensic examination was carried out.

Police said initial indications suggested the man had died from “non-accidental injuries”.

“There will be an increased police presence in North Dunedin as we work to establish how the man died, and when,” Low said earlier.

Formal identification procedures will be carried out in the coming days as well as a forensic postmortem.

A police guard remains in place outside the scene today. Photo / Ben Tomsett

Anyone with information that can assist police in their investigation is asked to contact them on 105 either over the phone or online and reference the file number 251003/5165.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.