Judge sums up, jury deliberating fate of man accused of stabbing ex-wife, killing another woman

Soafa Niumagumagu is on trial for murdering Sagaia Kaisala, 32, with his car. Photo / Supplied

A jury is deliberating on whether a man attempted to murder his wife by stabbing her in the neck and head, and deliberately hit two others with his car, one fatally.

Soafa Niumagumagu has been on trial at the High Court in Auckland accused of murder, attempted murder and assault with a weapon following a string of violent events that took place outside Oji Fibre Solutions in Māngere Bridge on June 20, 2019.

Justice Mathew Downs has summed up the case this morning.

The packaging factory was the workplace of Niumagumagu's ex-wife Puapuaga Matamua, who had left him for another man just weeks before the Crown says he stabbed her.

It was also where Saigaia Kaisala worked. She ran to help Matamua stop the bleeding, but the Crown says she was then hit by Niumagumagu's car and died at the scene.

Niumagumagu also allegedly hit another worker, Abdul Riyaz, who tried to chase the man away. He was flung into the air "like a rag doll", witnesses said, but survived.

Niumagumagu was fueled by anger in the three episodes of violence, the Crown alleges.

It is no coincidence he hit two people in his car in quick succession when he had many opportunities to drive away, it's alleged, Justice Downs told the jury.

But defence lawyer Sharyn Green argues he was behaving like a pathetic, broken individual on the day, not as someone consumed by anger.

Niumagumagu tried to scare his wife, not kill her, and the injuries were not life-threatening, Green said.

After being arrested, Niumagumagu told police he meant to kill his wife or cause her serious harm but he did not mean to run down Kaisala, Justice Downs said.

"What he said to police personnel is evidence … what weight you place on these police statements is for you.

"Unlike evidence from the witness box, these statements were not made under oath."