A 31-year-old Porirua man has been charged with murder following the death of Tongan man Sosiua Helotu Ula after an incident in Wellington.
He appeared by an audio visual link from Rimutaka Prison in the Porirua District Court on Friday.
He received continued interim name suppression and was remanded in custody to next appear in the Wellington High Court on 3 December 2018, Detective Senior Sergeant Christiaan Barnard said.
Two other defendants, aged 28 and 38 years, have been remanded on bail to appear in the Wellington High Court on 16 January 2018.
They were both also have continued interim name suppression.
Police have previously said that Ula, 19, was found with critical injuries after falling from a Mercedes on Porirua’s Warspite Ave on Sunday, October 7.
The trio had appearances scheduled in the Wellington District Court for charges of conspiracy to supply methamphetamine.
Additional charges of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of supply have been laid against them.
“The detectives investigating the death of Mr Ula have worked tirelessly to bring the matter to this point,” Barnard said.
“We could not have done this without the assistance of the local residents of Ascot Park, Waitangirua, and Whitby.
“While this type of incident is rare, I would like to thank and reassure local residents that Police will continue to work with them to reduce the incidence of serious crime in the community.”
