David Kuka, 52, was killed in what police describe as an execution in February 2018. A total of four men have now been charged with his murder. Photo / Supplied
David Kuka, 52, was killed in what police describe as an execution in February 2018. A total of four men have now been charged with his murder. Photo / Supplied
Another two men have been charged with the "execution-style" murder of David Kuka - an innocent man believed to be the victim of mistaken identity - more than four years after his death.
Court documents show the two men, aged 45 and 54, will appear in the Tauranga District Courtthis morning charged with murder.
The pair were arrested yesterday after a long running police investigation and means a total of four men have now been charged with the murder of Kuka, who was shot at close range in February 2018.
Luke William Belmont, 34, was charged in December and Adrian Rewiri, 36, was charged in January. Both men have pleaded not guilty and are due to stand trial in July next year.
Despite the passage of time since Kuka's death, a 52-year-old father of four, the investigation team led by Detective Sergeant Paul Barron had remained confident of solving the case.
NZME has previously revealed that the police believe Kuka was mistakenly killed in retaliation for the death of another man living in the same building, who was shot dead several weeks earlier.
"David wasn't always a saint but he had turned his life around. We believe it's a case of mistaken identity and there are people out there who know what happened," Detective Inspector Lew Warner previously told NZME.
"We'd urge them to do the right thing and tell us what they know."
David Kuka, 52, was killed in what police describe as an execution in February 2018. A total of four men have now been charged with his murder. Photo / Supplied
Tall and rangy, with long dark hair, the 52-year-old Kuka was a well-known figure in downtown Tauranga where he'd walk with his fist raised to the sky, pointing to heaven.
Wearing a leather vest with a cross on the back, Kuka would spend his weekend nights busking with his guitar and singing about his saviour.
A private man who was last seen playing a guitar in his room, Kuka was of Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Porou descent.
As a young boy, Kuka was brought up on Matakana Island by his grandmother before he settled in Greerton. He went to Greerton School and Tauranga Boys' College.
His cousin James Tapiata, a master carver from Te Puna, had mentored Kuka in developing his carving skills over the years.
They worked together on many projects including a meeting house at Tauranga Boys' College, which Tapiata said was a source of real pride for Kuka.
Speaking on behalf of the Kuka whanau in 2019, his daughter Te Kimioranga Kuka wanted the public to know her father had nothing to do with drugs or gangs anymore.
"He was a loud and proud Christian. He had completely turned his life around. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"He really cared about other people. People would remember him, if they stop to think. We miss him heaps."
Te Kimioranga Te Kuka touches a carving by her father, David Kuka, who was a talented craftsman. Photo / Alan Gibson
