KEY POINTS:
The man found guilty of murdering Tony Stanlake was convicted as a teenager of holding up a dairy armed with a fake pistol.
A jury deliberated for more than two days before returning its verdict at Wellington High Court late yesterday afternoon after a four-week trial.
Stanlake's handless
body was found washed up on a Wellington beach almost two years ago. His daughter Lisa Williams said outside court she was happy "we got the guilty verdict it should have been".
Daniel Moore, 23, was in a cannabis-growing partnership with 62-year-old Stanlake. The Crown argued he killed the older man to take his share of the business. Moore admitted disposing of Stanlake's body but said someone else killed him.
The jury didn't know Moore had previous convictions for theft, cannabis possession and aggravated robbery. At 17, he had tried to hold up a dairy armed with a fake pistol and wearing a Scream-style mask.
Justice Forrest Miller told the court he didn't usually comment on a jury's verdict, but he agreed with the guilty finding.
Crown prosecutor Grant Burston told the court Moore murdered Stanlake because he "wanted the cannabis operation for himself".
"And he arrogantly thought he could get away with it."
The Crown said Moore's actions were premeditated, not a panicked response to finding Stanlake's dead body. Moore had the motive and the means to commit the crime, said Burston.
He told the jury about Moore's purchases on the day of the murder, including a mallet and rolls of tape.
The Crown said Moore bashed Stanlake on the head with the mallet, cut his throat and used the tape to bind his body. After killing Stanlake, Moore left the body in a garage for two days before wrapping it and disposing of it at Owhiro Bay on the evening of July 8, 2006. Witnesses saw him at the bay because his car became stuck on the sand and he needed towing.
Members of the public found Stanlake's body at Red Rocks the following morning.
Moore's butcher flatmate Peter Leach - who gave evidence for the Crown - helped Moore clean the house, and disposed of a bag containing evidence. Stanlake's hands were never found and the Crown said it was distinctly possible they were in the bag.
Leach pleaded guilty in August 2006 to being an accessory after the fact to murder and was sentenced to 15 months in jail.
Police were pleased with yesterday's verdict. "The investigation team has put a significant amount of effort into it and obviously the jury took a long time to consider that evidence and we're very happy with the result," said investigation head Detective Inspector Mike Arnerich.
Moore's mother was in tears as the verdict was read and defence lawyer Greg King was also disappointed.
