Cockle Bay Fire: Two Murder Defendants Denied Bail While Appearing in Court

Two men charged with murder after Wiremu Arapo was killed in a fire in east Auckland appeared in court.

Papatoetoe’s and Mangere’s men were jointly charged with murder after the Oct. 20 fire in Cockle Bay near Howick.

Both men are 32 years old and appeared in Manukau District Court.

Arapo, 27, was found dead near the entrance to the house devastated by fire. Two other residents were injured in the October fire in Minerva Terrace and were hospitalized.

On Wednesday afternoon, both men accused of murder appeared before Judge Antony Mahon and were granted provisional name suppression.

The first man to appear pleaded not guilty shortly before 4 p.m. and was denied bail.

The second man did not plead guilty, but was also denied bail and taken into custody.

Attorneys Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson represented the two defendants, who will reappear in Auckland High Court on Wednesday, January 27.

Arapo opened a fitness business out of his garage during the national Covid-19 shutdown earlier this year.

Earlier this week, police said no one else was wanted in connection with this investigation.

But police continued to ask members of the public to submit images before and during the fire to an online portal at https://bancroft.nzpolice.org/