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First Peter and Diana Ennion were woken in the middle of the night with the news no parent ever wants to hear.
Then they had to drive to their son-in-law's work to tell him his young wife had been killed.
Darren Powles had been working a night shift at the Waikato North Head mine site in Otaua.
He had no way of knowing that Katie, his wife of just four months, had been hit by a driver who police say may have been suicidal.
The grieving widower is now being supported by friends and family as he tries to deal with the sudden loss.
"Darren's just been really quiet," said close family friend Kerry Jones. "I think in a few days' time he's going to really sort of snap and probably be really, really upset."
"He's quite solid at this stage but he's still in a lot of shock. They have been together for nine years and only four months marriage."
Mrs Powles was driving home to Waiuku from her job as an office clerk in Manukau when she was hit head-on in Karaka on Tuesday night.
She died on the way to hospital from multiple injuries.
The 26-year-old was the fourth person to be hit by the 51-year-old driver of a silver Nissan Bluebird that night.
Minutes earlier a 42-year-old man and his two sons were also hit head-on. The boys escaped without serious injury but their father remains in Middlemore Hospital in serious but stable condition.
The two collisions happened at 7.15pm, nearly two hours after the Nissan driver left his Swanson home after an argument with his wife.
He had just been released from hospital that day, following a medical condition, and was believed to have been drinking as he drove erratically to South Auckland.
Detective Inspector Mark Gutry said the man - who had a history of alcoholism and previous drink-driving convictions - made comments earlier that day that prompted police to launch a homicide inquiry following Mrs Powles' death.
Police have not yet been able to speak to the man - who is sedated in Auckland City Hospital with a moderate head injury - but say they hope to be able to in the next few days.
Part of that interview will revolve around trying to establish if he deliberately crashed into the two cars.
"We have got to prove whether it was a deliberate act, it's certainly what we are looking at."
Mr Gutry said the man was expected to face serious charges, possibly manslaughter or even murder.
When asked how Mrs Powles' family felt about the driver of the car that hit her Mr Jones said: "You don't really want to hear what they feel about the driver."
"I think they are holding a lot back. They are not a nasty family by no means but you can just tell there is some really built-up anger."
Mr Jones described Mrs Powles as an "absolute darling child" who was always bubbly and full of life.
"It didn't matter where you saw her she was always really smiling and would stop for a chat. She was just an all-round good natured lady."
As a child Mrs Powles was involved in drag racing at Meremere and was close to her family with whom she enjoyed fishing and beach holidays.
A funeral and celebration of Mrs Powles' life will be held on Sunday, during which many of her friends plan to release hundreds of balloons in her memory.
