Rotorua Crown solicitor Amanda Gordon confirmed the pair were in a relationship at the time of the murder.
"[Schofield] and [Ms Drummond] were married for 12 years and had two daughters before separating and seeing other people for 17 years. In 2011, the pair reconnected and began living together unmarried, but as a couple."
Ms Gordon said Schofield became enraged on the day of the murder, after finding out Ms Drummond had been seeing somebody else.
"On April 14 [he] came home from work and joined [her] in the kitchen ... An argument began and [Ms Drummond] revealed she had been seeing somebody else.
"[He] grew enraged, storming out of the house ... he uplifted a Stanley knife, scratching derogatory words on [Ms Drummond's] car."
Ms Gordon said Schofield grabbed a hammer before re-entering the house.
"[He] found [Ms Drummond] in the bedroom and using the hammer, struck her on the back of her head with enough force to make her fall face-down onto the ground.
"[He] then proceeded to deliver at least seven more blows to the back of her head in what has been described, in a post-mortem report, as an 'unsurvivable attack'."
Ms Gordon said Schofield left the address after the attack and drove to the Taupo police station where he told a constable on duty he had killed his partner.
Justice Timothy Brewer, who appeared in court via video feed, set a sentencing date for September 2. Schofield was remanded in custody.
