By ELEANOR BLACK
Murder victim Jason Johnson had a mild intellectual disability and was offered accommodation by police the night he was murdered.
An autopsy showed that the 32-year-old drifter, whose severely battered body was found in Lake Whakamaru near Mangakino on Tuesday, died from a massive blunt-force trauma to the
head.
He was killed in a car layby on State Highway 30 called Dunham Creek Reserve some time after 10 pm on Monday and his body dumped in the lake, along with a bag of clothing and bedding.
Police believe Mr Johnson and his killer, or killers, travelled to the site by car. He had been released on bail following an arrest in Taupo that afternoon for a minor offence.
He refused an offer of a bed for the night, saying he was on his way to a funeral in Epsom.
He was last seen outside the Taupo Mobil station on State Highway 1 trying to hitch a ride north.
Mr Johnson, a tall, thin Maori, was believed to be estranged from his family and lived at an IHC supervised home in New Plymouth off and on for a decade until August 1999.
That was about the time he started showing up at tangi in the central North Island, seeking a meal, socialisation and a sense of culture.
He was highly regarded by IHC staff and was well known in Taranaki.
People there tended to look out for him, said IHC spokeswoman Elizabeth Goodwin.
The Herald understands Mr Johnson lived with his mother and sister until he was about 20, when he turned up on the doorstep of an IHC group home in Waitara.
"He knocked on the door and asked for help. He said, 'I've got nowhere to go and I've got nothing to eat'," said Carolin Andersen, then a caregiver at the centre.
He would often go away for days at a time to attend funerals with his mother, she said.
"I guess that's where he got the idea."
Institute of Environmental Science and Research scientists finished their scene investigation yesterday.
Police divers recovered some of Mr Johnson's belongings from the lake and Detective Inspector Graham Bell said the find was very useful but would not specify.
Police still want to hear from anyone who saw a hitchhiker wearing a dark suit and cowboy boots and carrying two large plastic bags in the Taupo area on Monday night.
