Whitney Iraia-Burgess at the Auckland District Court on Friday. Photo / Michael Craig
Whitney Iraia-Burgess at the Auckland District Court on Friday. Photo / Michael Craig
A woman arrested after the murder of a man in central Auckland has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Whitney Jade Iraia-Burgess clutched a Bible as she appeared in Auckland District Court this morning to face a charge of murdering Daniel Otess. He was found in an inner-city Auckland carpark building early on Sunday morning.
The 32-year-old defendant, wearing a white T-shirt and grey track pants in the dock, pleaded not guilty through her lawyer.
Judge Evangelos Thomas acknowledged the difficulty of the proceedings at the start of the hearing.
Police had said the woman handed herself in at the Manukau police station after several days in hiding.
A homicide investigation was launched after a group found 57-year-old Daniel Otess beside a car in an open-air car park on City Rd in central Auckland on Sunday morning.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said Otess appeared to have been assaulted and had died before he was found.
He was seen on CCTV an hour earlier in his car at a petrol station on the corner of Karangahape and Ponsonby Rds.
‘Very good person’
Otess worked as a night cleaner and is remembered as a caring father of two.
His friend and member of the Ghana Association of New Zealand, Bright Duah, told the Herald that Otess’ death has crushed the hearts of families in two countries.
“He will be missed by the whole community, he was a part of us,” Duah said.
A large bouquet of flowers was left on the doorstep of the family home on Wednesday morning.
“I feel very sad and shocked. He was my friend, a very, very good person,” Duah said, saying Otess recently took his family to Ghana to see his parents.
Honorary Consul of Ghana Dr Charles Ampomah-Dwamena said the community was supporting the man’s family here and in Ghana.
