Man found guilty of sleepout murder

Police officers working at the house in Cotton Place, Papakura, in which 23-year-old Alicia McCallion was found dead. Photo / Sarah Ivey

An Auckland jury took just over two hours today to decide a man was guilty of murdering a young hairdresser in the sleepout of her family's south Auckland home.

In the High Court at Auckland, Karl John Eddy was found guilty of murdering his former partner, 23-year-old Alicia Jordana McCallion, in December 2012.

He slit her throat, and her body was found with stab wounds.

Eddy had been on trial in the High Court at Auckland before Justice Rebecca Ellis for the past 2 1/2 weeks. He claimed he took sleeping tablets on the night in question and woke up the next morning to discover texts from Ms McCallion on his phone. The Crown argued Eddy killed her and then sent the texts himself.

After today's verdict he was remanded in custody until sentencing in July.

Ms McCallion had spoken to her family about 8.30pm on the night she was killed. Fewer than 12 hours later her mother, Millie McCallion, found her daughter dead at their Papakura home.

Ms McCallion grew up in the south Auckland suburb, attending Opaheke School and Rosehill College.