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A teenager accused of murdering a man at a motel in Epsom last night has appeared in court and will deny the charge.
Police launched a homicide investigation after the person died at the Off Broadway Motel on Alpers Ave.
A witness said they saw detectives questioning a shirtless mancovered with blood at the scene.
A man, 19, appeared in the Auckland District Court today before Judge Debra Bell via audio-visual link from custody.
Court documents list him as living at the motel where he allegedly killed a man he knew.
His lawyer Jonathan Hudson sought and was granted interim name suppression until his client’s next appearance, saying there was an arguable case his fair trial rights could be endangered by publication at this stage and that his family could be exposed to extreme hardship.
The threshold for suppression is low at first appearance and a lawyer only has to show there is an arguable case.
Family members of the accused were in the public gallery.
A 19-year-old man appears in the Auckland District Court to face a murder charge after a man died at the Off Broadway Motel on Alpers Ave yesterday. Photo / George Block
Judge Bell remanded the man in custody until his next appearance in the Auckland High Court on September 13. The Judge suppressed a comment the man made during his brief appearance.
Earlier, a man and woman jointly charged with another, unrelated murder in central Auckland.
Their appearance was interrupted by a power cut that forced lawyers, defendants, police and court staff to use phone torches to navigate out of the courthouse before power was restored.
Auckland City Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Armstrong, said the 19-year-old man and his alleged victim at the motel were known to each other and police were not seeking anyone else over the death.
“We would like to reassure the community this appears to be an isolated incident.”
The community could expect to see police in the area while further inquiries were carried out, Armstrong said.
“A scene guard remains in place at the address this morning and will likely remain in place today.”
Meanwhile, police are still seeking the killers in two unsolved homicides in the city this month, one in Queen St and one in Pt England.
Emergency services were called to the Off Broadway Motel in Epsom around 7.25pm on Wednesday. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Police launched an investigation on Wednesday night following the death at the Off Broadway Motel.
Emergency services responded around 7.25pm to reports of a person with serious injuries at the motel in Epsom, but the person died at the scene.
A person covered in blood was seen being escorted from the motel. Police confirmed they had one person in custody who was assisting them to determine the circumstances of the death.
A witness told the Herald the police came rushing into the motel complex before questioning a shirtless man “with blood all over his body”.
“They’re not allowing anyone on the first floor,” she said.
“They have got the detectives downstairs underneath the car park and, we had police downstairs in the car park like walking around investigating.”
Police this morning said they would provide more details around the victim’s identity when they were able, but were limited in providing further comment because the matter was before the courts.
Just hours earlier, a 70-year-old man died after suffering serious injuries at an apartment complex on Upper Queen St in central Auckland.
A 35-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested and appeared in the Auckland District Court on Thursday,
Police on Wednesday night were still working to notify the victim’s next of kin. A post-mortem examination was to be carried out on Thursday.
A detective in white coveralls inside the Off Broadway Motel on Wednesday night. Photo / Hayden Woodward
