Trial hears of drugs found in murder victim’s body
Samples from murder victim Ngatai Lynette Manning’s body showed she had methadone in her blood and liver, morphine in her blood, and cannabis in her urine.
There were also traces of an anxiety drug, and a drug to aid sleep, an Environment Science and Research scientist, Helen Poulsen, told the third day of the murder trial in the High Court at Christchurch.
There was no alcohol detected, and it was not possible to know how she was affected by the drugs at her death, she said.
The court had earlier heard that Manning was on the methadone programme.
Evidence was given that Manning’s cell phone records showed police where she was during that evening of her death, and traced her from her corner on Manchester and Peterborough Street – where she worked as a sex worker – to Galbraith Avenue where the Aotearoa Mongrel Mob pad was, and to the Avon River where she was dumped.
Mauha Huatahi Fawcett, 26, who was a gang prospect, has denied murdering 27-year-old Manning, known as Mellory, on or about December 18, 2008, and is defending himself at the trial.
Manning’s partly naked body was found in the Avon River on December 19, 2008.
Update, Afternoon proceedings:
A woman said in evidence that she had shared her marijuana with two men in a red Mazda on the night of Manning’s death.
She said Fawcett was driving the car, there was another man in the passenger seat. She got in the back of the car and smoked with them.
She said they asked her about “Mell” and said they were looking for her because she owed them money.
When they finished smoking, she got out of the car, and they said they were going to drive around and see if Manning was out on the street.
Category: Focus
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Connect
Connect with us via: