Shadrock found guilty of carpark murder

Hit-and-run victim Joanne Wang. Photo / Supplied

A High Court jury today found a man guilty of murder over the hit-and-run slaying of Chinese businesswoman Joanne Wang in a south Auckland shopping mall in 2008.

The jury of seven women and five men, who began their deliberations at 2.40pm yesterday after Justice Rodney Hansen completed his summing up following the five-week trial in the High Court at Auckland, also found five other young men guilty of being accessories after the murder of Ms Wang.

Christopher Shadrock, 23, had denied murdering Ms Wang, who died the day after being struck by a stolen four-wheel drive driven by Shadrock, who allegedly snatched her handbag in the Manukau shopping mall carpark in June 2008.

The Crown alleged Shadrock, having snatched the handbag, tried to back away from a chasing Mrs Wang but then chose to drive forward into her to get away when his path behind was blocked.

He was found guilty of murder and theft of Ms Wang's handbag.

Five others - Maka Tuikolovatu, 21, Lionel Tekanawa, 23, Vila Lemanu, 25, Mateni Lynch, 20, and Terence Tere, 22 - were found guilty of being an accessory after the fact to murder by trying to help Shadrock avoid arrest.

Tuikolovatu and Tekenawa were found not guilty of the theft of the bag, while Lemanu was found guilty.

All six were remanded in custody for sentencing on July 2.