Rotorua woman admits charges after soured Facebook deal allegedly leads to Trigg Ave death

Police at the scene of an incident at Trigg Ave in Rotorua where one person died on August 20. Photo / Ben Fraser

A Facebook Marketplace deal that went sour allegedly led to a man being murdered in a Rotorua street, according to new court documents.

Emergency services were called to a Trigg Ave address on August 20, police have previously said.

Temutu Ehau, 41, was found in a critical condition and died at the scene.

Three people are charged in relation to his death and one of them has now pleaded guilty.

Deziah Rangitoheriri, 19, of Rotorua, appeared in the High Court at Rotorua on November 21 before Justice Kiri Tahana.

Rangitoheriri pleaded guilty to charges of possession of an offensive weapon and assault with intent to injure.

Tahana entered convictions on the two charges.

Rangitoheriri’s lawyer, Max Simpkins, asked for a pre-sentence report and for restorative justice to be considered.

Tahana directed a pre-sentence report and for inquiries to be made with Ehau’s whānau for restorative justice.

Rangitoheriri was remanded on bail until sentencing on March 12.

Judge Tahana allowed the Crown summary of facts in Rangitoheriri’s case to be released to the Rotorua Daily Post.

The summary said Rangitoheriri and Ehau did not know each other.

Rangitoheriri advertised an iPhone for sale on Facebook Marketplace on the morning of August 19.

She found a buyer that day, who sent a screenshot of a bank transfer as proof of payment. A woman later collected the phone.

After she left, Rangitoheriri realised no money had been deposited in her account, the summary said.

She started trying to track down the buyer through the Facebook profile they used.

She managed to get the iPhone back from another person, but kept trying to track the person behind the buyer’s Facebook page.

Rangitoheriri sent a message to a relative of Ehau saying they “had better be at that house on Trigg otherwise the whole place will be left in ashes”.

This was Ehau’s home address and was linked through family to the person behind the Facebook account used by the buyer, the summary said.

Police on Trigg Ave following the death of Temutu Ehau. Photo / Ben Fraser

The Crown alleges Rangitoheriri and the two other defendants went to the house, where Rangitoheriri told an occupant she wanted to fight the person she believed to be the buyer, in retribution for the money not going through.

The Crown alleges the defendants left but soon returned to the house, where a fight started that spilled on to the street, and resulted in Ehau’s death.

After being arrested, Rangitoheriri admitted to police she had been present and had handled weapons.

The other two defendants, whose names cannot be published in this report for legal reasons, are set to go to trial as early as October 2027.

An 18-year-old denies charges of murdering Ehau and possession of an offensive weapon, and a 20-year-old denies charges of assault with intent to injure and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.

A reserve trial date has been set for October 4, 2027, in the High Court at Hamilton.

A firm trial date has been set for May 22, 2028.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.