KEY POINTS:
A 27-year-old woman allegedly involved in the brutal slaying of a man in front of his partner and three-year-old daughter was a good girl and dragged into the wrong crowd, her father says.
Police today named the victim as 26-year-old Jason Noe Kia Chong Boon.
Mr Boon died after being bound, gagged and beaten at his Kirikiri Lane home in Botany Downs in front of his young family.
The woman and two men, aged 36 and 24, whose names and details of their physical appearance were suppressed, appeared today in Manukau District Court charged, at this stage, with unlawfully being on the victim's premises.
The trio were remanded in custody until they reappear on November 28.
Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said more charges were imminent, and possibly further arrests.
"All accused will be facing serious charges in relation to this offending at their next appearance," he said.
The three were caught as they tried to flee across roof tops in an attempt to escape a police cordon imposed after Mr Boon's partner called 111.
Family and supporters of the two younger accused hurled abuse at the 36-year-old man when the two men were standing in the dock.
And the accused woman's young daughter shouted out "bye mum" as her mother was led back in to custody wearing a boiler suit.
Outside court the woman's father insisted his daughter was innocent.
"That's my daughter and she's innocent; that's not her character," the man said.
"I tell you what, you want to know what it's like to wake up and hear a story like that, especially when you know they've been dragged in to it. I know my girl's innocent."
Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said the victim's partner, who was deeply traumatised by the attack, was helping police with their inquiry.
"Her life was turned on its head in a blink of the eye, so she needs a lot of help from us."
The community in Botany Downs could feel safe, Mr Grimstone said.
"This certainly wasn't a random attack and we're working to establish a motive, but I have utmost confidence that they are safe and the people that orchestrated the attack are where they should be."
Neighbours said they saw a dramatic chase in Botany Downs with police trying to catch the alleged offenders. One man fell through a Perspex roof as he tried to escape police by running over garage rooftops.
A second man was cornered in a garage after vaulting fences in his attempt to flee. A woman was also arrested at the scene, neighbours told the Herald.
One neighbour said officers told him the woman was able to alert police to the attack, which happened about 11 on Saturday night in Kirikiri Lane.
The street is part of a three-year-old subdivision of mainly semi-detached townhouses, close to Botany town centre.
One resident heard people in his courtyard and garage shortly after 11pm.
"I heard a crash in the backyard and I rang police soon afterwards," he said.
"I saw one of them get up on to the garage roofs and try to run across them. He jumped over a couple but tried to run over a Perspex connection and fell through it."
Police were already in the neighbourhood when he called about the trespassers, and the area was surrounded by about 50 officers by about 11.10pm.
Police dogs, a security van and a police helicopter were involved.
Another resident said he heard someone rattling at his door and then a crash outside.
The noise was his outdoor table breaking as a man jumped on to it. The suspect then climbed on to his car roof and up on to the garage.
"He was on the garage roof, lying like a starfish. He thought it was stealthy as, but I could see him."
Few people who spoke to the Herald knew the couple involved.
Richard Rudd, a nearby resident, said it was not a close community, partly because many homes were rented so people moved in and out often.
"People around here keep to themselves. It's generally quite quiet. It kind of surprises you when this happens on your front doorstep."
There was some surprise at the attack, because the houses were close together and neighbours could hear one another.
* Two youths appeared in Manukau District Court this morning jointly charged with the murder of a 33-year-old man.
The pair, aged 18 and 19, appeared and were granted name suppression.
They are accused of murdering Tolo Magele Pelenise Tofa, 33, of Otara.
Mr Tofa was found in Williams Park, Mangere, about 4am. He died soon after paramedics arrived.
