Hughie Ransfield case: Murdered man’s partner says there is a second killer out there

The partner of a man beaten to death by his friend has revealed that they believe there is a second murderer who has gotten away with it.

Hughie Ransfield, 59, was sentenced today to life in prison with a minimum period of 14 years without parole for the murder of Maui Haukamau on May 20 this year at a home on Te Ngae Rd.

Ransfield made a full confession that he hit Haukamau on the head as hard as he could multiple times with a metal bar in an argument related to the money he believed he owed.

Haukamau’s partner of 23 years, Hirāina Hune-Hona, spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post after the sentencing, saying there were unresolved issues and while the family was glad that Ransfield had been punished, they believed he was not the one. only person in the room when Haukamau was beaten to death.

However, police say no one else was involved.

Hune-Hona said Ransfield went looking for his partner the day he was killed, but his grandchildren told them there was a second person in the car with Ransfield.

He said he believed Ransfield, who was thin in build, was too short to outperform his partner, who was 1.9 m tall (6 ft 3 in) and in good physical shape.

“There was no way he could have done that and everyone knew it.”

Hune-Hone said he had given information to the police, including the name of someone the family believed might also have been involved, but the police only charged Ransfield.

Hune-Hona said the family wanted to make their feelings known when delivering their victim impact statement in court, but were asked to remove their theories from the statement.

“We had to put up with it … The story of Maui has not really been told.”

Rotorua CIB leader Detective Sergeant Major Mark Van Kempen said Hune-Hone’s suggestions were thoroughly investigated, but police firmly believed Ransfield was the only killer.

“It’s wrong. There were no other people involved.”

He said all avenues were examined, including forensic evidence.

“At the end of the day, he (Ransfield) fully confessed.”

In today’s sentencing, Crown Attorney Amanda Gordon said Haukamau would have been surprised after enjoying a day of drinking with Ransfield, someone she considered a friend.

“It was a frenzied and savage attack and involved a high degree of brutality.”

More than 10 members of Haukamau’s family were present in court, with two family members standing behind Hune-Hona, and Hakamau’s son, Tuwhakairiora Houkamau, holding himself by the shoulders during sentencing.

Hune-Hona addressed Judge Christian Whata and read his victim’s impact statement while standing in front of a photograph of Haukamau.

She read her statement in Maori, which was translated into English. In it, she said that she was a father of five and a grandfather of ten.

He said that he was a hardworking man, had a great ability to speak and had many skills that he passed on to his children.

“This has not yet been resolved. The father’s blood is still in the garage.”

He said the family did not agree with the facts that were told about Haukamau.

“It’s hard to allow that to go ahead at this point.”

The murder occurred on the afternoon of May 20 when Ransfield went to Haukamau’s home. The couple bought a case of beer and some cannabis before heading back to Ransfield’s home on Te Ngae Rd.

At 4 p.m., Ransfield asked Haukamau about the money he believed his friend owed him, which was about $ 3,500.

Ransfield grabbed a nearby piece of metal tube and hit Haukamau on the head several times, the ferocity of the blows causing the metal tube to snap in two.

Ransfield continued to hit Haukamau’s head with the remaining half of the metal tube to make sure he didn’t get up.

He then called the emergency services, requesting an ambulance and police. He said that he had “hit his friend” and that he thought he had killed him.

Haukamau suffered significant blunt force trauma to the back of his head. The blows fractured the skull and lacerated the dura mater, causing extensive subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Arama Ngapo-Lipscombe appeared for Ransfield and argued that he was sorry despite his explanation to police on the day he had “signed his own death warrant for not paying his bill.”

He said that after what happened, Ransfield vomited three times, gasped and began to cry.

“He said ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, what have I done? I’m sorry, bro, I’m sorry,'” Ngapo-Lipscombe said.

She said Ransfield was profoundly deaf and was not detected until age 17, dropped out of school early and suffered from social isolation.

He noted that he was facing court today for the most serious charge in New Zealand and there was no family support.

Judge Whata allowed Ransfield to sit on the court’s witness stand during sentencing to make sure he could hear the judge.

Judge Whata said a cultural report showed Ransfield was in a serious car accident in 2003 in which his partner and 9-year-old daughter were killed. He was injured in the accident and those injuries added to his disabilities.

In passing his sentence, he said it would be grossly unfair to impose a minimum period of non-parole of 17 years considering his personal circumstances, age and disability.

Instead, he imposed a 14-year parole period.

At the end of the sentence, Tuwhakairiora Haukamau performed an emotional haka before Judge Whata.