As the attackers escaped, one of them was heard swearing and yelling, "Oh my God, what have we done?"
A neighbour in the block of flats next to Tolley's found her body. She had heard Tolley screaming.
Two of the men charged in relation to her death appeared in the High Court at Wellington this morning by audio visual link.
The most recently charged is a 28-year-old Whanganui man, who is accused of assault with intent to rob and two counts of aggravated burglary. He entered not guilty pleas to all charges.
The other man appearing today is charged with Tolley's murder. He also faces charges of assaulting with intent to rob while armed with a shotgun, and a charge of aggravated burglary.
All the defendants have interim name suppression.
Crown prosecutor Grant Burston said he intended to charge the other two defendants with murder as well.
Lois Tolley was murdered in an execution-style killing in her Upper Hutt home. Photo / Supplied
Justice Simon France remanded the men in custody until trial. A callover hearing is scheduled for October.
A year after Tolley's death, police had said they had narrowed the suspect list to 12.
They were either directly involved in committing the murder, helped plan the attack on Tolley, or assisted the killers after the murder.
The police investigation team had worked through more than 130 people of interest at that stage.
Tolley's mother previously told the Herald she had no doubt her daughter's killers would be caught.
She described her daughter as a beautiful, caring person who was "very much loved by so many".
"We miss Lois so much, this has devastated our family and her friends, they stole her future from her and all of us."
