Jury seated for murder trial over 2025 Wairarapa daylight shooting
A Wellington High Court jury has been empanelled to hear the murder case of two men accused in the 2025 daylight shooting that killed Doreion Peri Ropata Hard.
The trial concerns the fatal shooting of Doreion Peri Ropata Hard on March 22, 2025, after a vehicle was reportedly fired upon near a Featherston supermarket. Pelikai Taukei'aho, charged as the principal offender, and Tauave Sue, charged as a party to the murder, both entered not-guilty pleas before the jury on Monday. Justice Andru Isac reminded jurors to assess each defendant’s liability separately. The proceedings are scheduled to run for five weeks.
Why it matters
The case determines accountability for a rare daylight murder in a small New Zealand community.
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