Pensioner denies 1979 Turangi murder

Menzies Hallett entered a not guilty plea in court yesterday. Photo / Alan Gibson

A Rotorua pensioner has denied shooting and killing a Turangi man more than 30 years ago.

Menzies Reginald John Hallett, 71, whose name suppression was lifted last month, entered a plea of not guilty through his lawyer Paul Mabey when he appeared in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday morning to face a charge of murder.

The Crown alleges Hallett killed Rodney Tahu outside the Turangi petrol station as he was finishing his evening shift in the early hours of August 16, 1979.

Mr Tahu, whose murder remained a cold case until late last year, was found by a passing truck driver lying in a pool of blood on the forecourt of the Shell service station.

The 32-year-old married father of two sons died a few hours later at Taumarunui Hospital from gunshot wounds to the head and shoulder.

A spokesman for Mr Tahu's family, Colin Hair, said the family would "certainly be taking a keen interest in things" but he did not know whether they would attend Hallett's trial.

"We sort of knew it was happening, we have had to go through the name suppressions and the hearings and the rest of it.

"But we are all taking a deep breath and sitting back on this one, we are sitting back and letting the system do its thing."

Justice Geoffrey Venning remanded Hallett on bail for a callover on May 31.

Hallett, who was accompanied by a woman to court, looked calm in the dock yesterday. He refused to speak to reporters as he left the court.