Man pleads guilty to murdering runner

Anne Elizabeth McCulloug

A man has pleaded guilty to murdering a runner he hit with his car.

Matthew Kinghorn, 28, pleaded guilty in the High Court at New Plymouth to the murder of Anne Elizabeth McCullough, a court registrar confirmed.

Ms McCullough, 45, was hit by a car and killed while running on Frankley Rd on October 20, 2012.

Her body was put in the backseat of the car and taken to a reserve 10km away, where the car was abandoned.

It was seen by a member of the public who rang police. Kinghorn, a scaffolder, was arrested a short time later.

The court registrar said Kinghorn would appear for a pre-sentence hearing on December 2, but no sentencing date had been set.