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A Tokoroa man who killed his father-in-law by inflicting “at least 11 blows” to the head with a chainsaw bar has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum period of 15 years.
Wireless Ford, 30, was sentenced in Rotorua High Court Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of murder in connection with the murder of Korekore Putai.
Putai was killed in the Tokoroa home he shared with his partner and Ford after what appears to have been a cigarette dispute on August 22, 2019.
Crown Prosecutor Amanda Gordon said the murder was “a particularly brutal murder … this was an example of savage violence.”
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“The deceased could be heard screaming and screaming while being mugged.”
Gordon also said that while Ford suffered from mild cognitive impairment, his “chronic multiple substance abuse” was a more prominent problem.
Defense attorney Bill Lawson said the main issue would be the minimum length of incarceration for his client, though he questioned how many times Ford hit Putai, alleging that pathological evidence suggests four hits were struck.
Lawson also said Ford had no recollection of the murder, which he said occurred after “an argument between two people who had been drinking heavily.”
Stuff
The Kelso St address where Wireless Ford used a chainsaw bar to kill Korekore Putai.
“It seems to be a rash reaction to an argument,” Lawson said.
“The key is to understand Mr. Ford’s background.”
Lawson also cited a cultural report on his client.
“[In] the questionnaire on adverse childhood, obtained seven out of ten, where four is considered serious “.
Judge Paul Davison addressed the impact statements of the Putai daughter’s victim.
“You took her father from her and she doesn’t understand how you can take an innocent person from her and her family,” he said.
Davison also referred to a pre-sentencing report in which Ford claimed not to consider himself a violent person, despite being “in a lot of fights.”
Ford also told the writer of the pre-sentencing report “if he [Putai] if he had kept his mouth shut, he would not have attacked him ”.
Davison described the violence as unprovoked, serious and ongoing.
“Despite being defenseless from his attack, he continued to beat him with one violent blow after another … in my opinion, that means that the murder was committed with a high level of brutality.”
The police summary of the events indicated that Ford worked for Putai doing fencing and spraying work on several farms in the area, but bad weather on the day of the murder caused the cancellation of the work.
A co-worker who arrived at the address at 5 am noted that “the defendant was already drinking ice cold beer.”
Shortly after 1:15 p.m., Ford received a phone call.
“The defendant wanted to know where he was smoking. During the conversation, the defendant got angry and started insulting his partner. “
Putai and his partner tried to calm Ford, who then smashed a kitchen window and kicked a box containing his packed lunches, a kick that also hit Putai’s arm.
Concerned about this behavior, Putai’s partner called the police at 1.55pm, only to have Ford snatch the phone from him.
“Without warning, the defendant turned and punched him in the side of the face.”
Putai’s partner then brought a phone to his room and spoke to a 111 operator, while Ford “turned his attention to Putai … he started yelling at him.”
Putai’s partner said she could hear swearing and yelling from the living room, then Ford took a separate chainsaw bar and began assaulting Putai.
“After Putai screamed, knocks can be heard on call 111. At least 11 knocks can be heard after Putai screams,” the summary reads.
When Putai’s partner came back into the living room, they saw him “slumped on the arm of the sofa.”
“She could immediately see a lot of blood in front of him … She put her arms around him briefly and knew he was not alive.”
Ford then struck Putai’s partner again, although a police officer had arrived by that time and helped her get off the property.
An autopsy report on Putai revealed that he had suffered “extensive and insurmountable head injuries.”
Ford then “acknowledged hitting the deceased on the head with the bar of the chainsaw causing his death.”
