KEY POINTS:
Homicide detectives believe they are closing in on the killer of Reece John Shadbolt who was stabbed to death in his Auckland flat on Waitangi Day.
Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Beard said today the person who alerted police to the incident had provided information and probably knew the identity of the killer.
The caller rang police on Waitangi Day to say there had there had been a fight in a Parnell flat in which a man was injured.
Police went to the flat and found the body of Mr Shadbolt.
A post mortem yesterday revealed he had been stabbed several times.
Mr Beard said the caller had given police a strong line of inquiry.
Mr Shadbolt, 38, a print and production studio manager, had been living alone in the apartment for less than a week.
Police said there was nothing to suggest he had been involved in any criminal activity.
Mr Beard said police still needed help from the public to track down Mr Shadbolt's movements before he died.
Mr Shadbolt's family was shocked and was helping police building a picture of the man and his life.
He said police had yet to establish what sort of weapon was used in the attack.
"It will be a stabbing, cutting type (weapon) but the pathologist still wants to do a little bit more research in terms of what he has found."
Mr Beard would not say if Mr Shadbolt fought his attacker or if he had any defensive wounds.
"I am not going to go down that line," he said.
- NZPA
