Man pleads guilty to manslaughter after stabbing South Taranaki victim multiple times

A man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after the fatal stabbing of a man in South Taranaki last year.

A man claimed he was hypnotised and under “mind control” for several years before killing another man in a frenzied stabbing.

The South Taranaki victim was stabbed multiple times by the defendant, who cannot be named, in August last year.

On Friday, he appeared via audio-visual link from prison in the High Court at New Plymouth, where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

He initially faced a murder charge and was subject to proceedings under the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act, because of concerns regarding his state of mind at the time of the offending.

The defendant’s interim name suppression order remains in place before his sentencing and limits what can be reported about the fatal incident.

According to the summary of facts, the defendant called 111 twice on August 23 in an agitated state.

He requested police assistance and claimed to have been hypnotised.

“He said he had been under mind control... had just woken up and could not remember his life,” the summary stated.

A person at the South Taranaki property spoke with the call taker and advised the defendant hadn’t had much sleep and was having memory issues.

The man appeared in the High Court at New Plymouth last week. Photo / Tara Shaskey

They were encouraged to call mental health services for the defendant.

Later that day, another call was made to emergency services and police visited the property.

There had been concerns of a family harm incident but that had resolved by the time police arrived.

The defendant spoke with police and admitted to using methamphetamine and said he had been hallucinating.

Police encouraged that medical advice be sought for the defendant and provided information on methamphetamine, including rehabilitation pamphlets.

The following morning, police were called to the property again after further 111 calls with concerns of a family harm incident.

The defendant reported having “woken up from a daydream” and being under “MK Ultra mind control”.

When officers arrived, they found the critically injured victim on the floor of one of the bedrooms.

He was given CPR by the officers, and then ambulance staff once they arrived, but was declared dead soon after.

The defendant was arrested at the scene. He was compliant and seen to have blood on his clothes, hands and face.

He also had a cut on his hand and a graze to his chin.

When spoken to by police, he repeated his claims of having been under mind control.

He said he stabbed the victim in the head and “I should have taken the c***’s head off”.

An autopsy later found the victim suffered approximately 31 stab and incised wounds, including to his head, chest, arms, leg, abdomen and back.

It concluded that one of the stab wounds to the abdomen injured the victim’s aorta and caused a large amount of bleeding, resulting in his death.

After the defendant’s guilty plea last week, Justice Dale La Hood remanded him back into custody.

He will be sentenced on October 6.

Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 and is currently an assistant editor and reporter for the Open Justice team. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.