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Benn Bathgate / Stuff
There was a heavy police presence at the scene the morning after the 2019 murder.
Nicholas Martin Roling spent an hour and a half hiding in a hedge with a loaded shotgun before his ex-partner returned home to Rotorua, with his new partner with her.
So Roling came out, shot Jeremy Ngatai once in the back and told his ex “that will teach him.”
For that murder in June 2019, Roling, 54, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum period of 11 years without parole in Rotorua High Court on Friday.
Roling had pleaded guilty to the only murder charge at an earlier hearing, after initially pleading not guilty.
Crown prosecutor Anna McConachy described the murder as “unprovoked.”
“A murder that involved a degree of premeditation was certainly not opportunistic,” he said.
The murder “had the stamp of a jealous and possessive ex-partner who could not accept that their relationship had ended.”
Roling’s attorney, Andy Schuzle, accepted that the only sentence for his client would be life imprisonment, but argued that some mitigation should be shown for Roling’s state of mind at the time of the murder, a claim rejected by Judge Timothy Brewer.
“He shot Mr. Ngatai in the back after hiding near his home and waiting for him to return, his crime had a devastating effect on Mr. Ngatai’s family and friends.”
Brewer said he had read 14 statements about the impact of whanau victims and described Ngatai as “a very dear and needy son, father, father, brother, nephew, cousin and friend.”
“I can’t give whanau back what you’ve taken.”
Brewer said Roling had been in an on-and-off relationship with his ex for three years before splitting in 2017.
“I was teasing you with her for ending your relationship, and as a result, you didn’t like Mr. Ngatai,” she said.
“You ambushed him and shot him in the back.”
Brewer said that after Roling shot Ngatai in the back, he heard him say “that will teach him.”
Roling, who wore a face mask throughout the sentencing, spoke only once when asked if he had anything to say before sentencing.
“No, your honor.”
The packed gallery applauded when Brewer told the court that “the sentence for murder is life imprisonment.”
A whanau member was also heard commenting after Roling was sent.
“Enjoy jail, bro.”
