Craig McKelvie died in hospital on Friday night. Photo / Supplied
Craig McKelvie died in hospital on Friday night. Photo / Supplied
Police have released a photo of a "vehicle of interest" in relation to a homicide in Lower Hutt last week.
Craig McKelvie was found with serious injuries at a property on Mason Ave on Friday night, and later died in hospital, detective senior sergeant Martin Todd said.
As part of the ongoing homicide inquiry, police want to identify a dark-coloured vehicle, likely a station wagon or SUV, and have released an image of it.
"This is a vehicle of interest, captured on CCTV footage in the Moera area around the time Mr McKelvie was at Mason St," Todd said.
"We are wanting assistance from members of the community to identify the vehicle and the occupant or occupants of it on Friday 14 October."
Information can be given to police via 105, referencing file number 221015/8888 and clicking 'Update My Report', or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or online via www.crimestoppers-nz.org.
In April of this year, McKelvie was sentenced to three months home detention for assaulting an elderly man who had taken out a $10,000 hit on his head.
During the trial, Judge Davidson described McKelvie as a "career criminal", with a criminal history that spans from the mid-1980s right up to 2021, including a conviction for attempted murder.
Police have released this image of the car. Photo / Supplied
On the evening of May 3, 2021, McKelvie and an associate went to the address where an elderly man, his victim, was visiting.
Throwing petrol on the man, McKelvie described the threatening act as impulsive. The pair then assaulted the victim, punching and slapping him in the face and striking him with a hammer.
McKelvie's victim suffered significant injuries, including burns to the stomach, neck and forearm as well as bruising from the physical attack.
The court heard that McKelvie denied involvement in a number of acts outlined in the summary of facts, including the throwing of the scalding hot water, the striking of the man with a wheel brace and the theft of a credit card.
In December 2005, McKelvie kidnapped a woman who was forced to watch as her dog was shot in front of her.
The 20-year-old woman was exercising her crossbred dog Iwi in a Riverbank St park when McKelvie allegedly drove up in a car, pointed a sawn-off shotgun at her and ordered her and the dog into the vehicle.
They were then taken to an isolated part of the Akatarawa Cemetery, where McKelvie allegedly loaded the gun and allegedly pointed it at the woman before shooting the dog.
McKelvie pleaded not guilty to seven charges including kidnapping, threatening to kill and wilfully ill-treating an animal, but the Wellington District Court judge had no choice but to dismiss the charges after the complainant failed to show up to court.
