Source: Radio New Zealand
Police find machete in Auckland reserve five months after killing of US man Kyle Whorrall. Supplied/police
Auckland police cannot say if a machete found in their investigation into the killing of US student, Kyle Whorrall, is linked to his fatal attack.
Another teenager was charged with the 33-year-old’s murder on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old boy from Glenn Innes was due to appear in the Youth Court on Thursday, also charged with aggravated robbery.
Whorrall, who was 33, was attacked at a bus stop in Meadowbank in April and died in hospital following the attack.
In September, five months after Whorrall’s killing, police announced they had found a machete in a nearby reserve.
Kyle Whorrall RNZ / Lucy Xia
They could not say at the time if the weapon, found in vegetation at Maybury reserve, was used in the killing.
“What I can say is that it is a large bladed weapon, and we are looking for a large bladed weapon, we are not at Maybury reserve by accident,” Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said at the time.
“We remain open minded in relation to this weapon, forensic testing is underway but we won’t know the results for some time.”
It has been two months since the announcement.
After Wednesday’s announcement of a further murder charge, RNZ asked if forensic testing results for the machete had been returned.
Police were not able to say.
“I’m conscious we have laid further charges in this investigation,” Baldwin said.
“As matters are before the court, I’m not able to comment on specifics around evidential matters,” he told RNZ.
The revelation of the machete from police came at the same time a 16-year-old was also facing charges of murder and aggravated robbery.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
