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MARK TAYLOR / Stuff
Four men broke into Orren Scott Williams’ home near Kāwhia in the middle of the night. He is accused of gunning down one and seriously wounding the other three.
The intruders who were shot, one fatally, attempting to steal a “good profit” of cannabis buds had inside knowledge of the house they were targeting, a court has heard.
Orren Scott Williams, 38, is on trial, charged with murder and serious injury to the other three men in the June 2019 incident in rural Waikato.
The clue and plan to steal her bags of cannabis buds came from a family friend, Emma Salvation.
She spied on them when she bought a can of Williams at her home, overlooking Kāwhia harbor, on the night of the home invasion, she said.
After arguing with Williams, Salvation became so angry that he told an intruder, Shaun Te Kanawa, that it would be a “good profit” if he stole it, he told a jury in Hamilton Superior Court on Tuesday.
It could jump out of a window, grab weeds, and get out undetected.
“I told him if … they caught him, they would shoot him.”
She and Te Kanawa hatched a plan and she drew maps of the house, she said.
When he had to go home, a friend picked up Te Kanawa.
Not long after, in the early hours of June 6, he was among four who broke into Williams’ home in Hauturu with guns, but Williams fought back.
He faces one charge of murder for the death of Faalili Moleli Fauatea and one charge of injuring the other three men with the intent to cause serious bodily harm: Te Kanawa, Joe Tumaialu and Grayson Toilolo.
At around 4.15am, Salvation received missed calls and messages from Te Kanawa, one saying “hospital” and another saying “I was shot, honey.”
Te Kanawa said he was at the Hauturu school, where Salvation found a shot up car and three other men wounded.
All but one got into his ute, he said, but the room collapsed as he tried to get out of the other vehicle.
Before leaving the school, while rescue helicopters were still on the scene, he saw Williams pass by and told police he was the attacker, he said.
Earlier in the evening, Salvation had hatched a plan with Te Kanawa to steal the cannabis, after seeing two large bags while shopping for a can of Williams.
Salvation later pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and was sentenced to 12 months of home detention, the jury heard.
But defense attorney Philip Morgan QC challenged Salvation, suggesting that she “made up a great story” to justify fixing a robbery from her good friend’s husband.
Salvation only admitted its involvement after police searched it and found the drawings of Williams’ home, it said.
Morgan asked him if he was justifying his behavior by accusing Williams of trafficking methamphetamine.
“I have not accused him. I did not want to say certain things. It is the police who forced me,” he replied.
The trial is in its second day and is expected to last up to two weeks.
