Shalvin Prasad was burned to death. His body was found on a rural South Auckland road two years ago. Photo / Supplied
Shalvin Prasad was burned to death. His body was found on a rural South Auckland road two years ago. Photo / Supplied
Two men accused of burning a 21-year-old to death over his life savings have been found guilty of murder.
Shivneel Kumar, 20, and Bryne Permal, 22, have spent nearly a month on trial in the High Court at Auckland over the death of Shalvin Prasad, whose smouldering body was found on a rural South Auckland road on the morning of January 31, 2013.
This afternoon the jury returned guilty verdicts for the pair after around 20 hours of deliberation across three days.
Mr Prasad's brother Pravin gave a short statement to media following the verdict.
"We feel today that this decision finally holds these evil criminals accountable for the malicious death of my brother," he said.
The verdict had "provided some closure for the family", he said.
He also thanked the Crown prosecutors and police team for "the remarkable contribution they have made in compiling the Crown's case".
"We, the Prasads, are very pleased and grateful for the way the police have carried out their investigations. They were the utmost professionals, and approached us with a lot of care and empathy."
Mr Prasad said his parents were "doing well".
"They're holding up as you'd imagine, but they're doing well," he said.
The trial had been "very difficult" for the family, he said.
"You have to wait for two years to get to this stage, and as I said before, the decision today was very good for us.
"It was very difficult [to wait for the verdict]. It was probably one of the most difficult times we've had. We're happy with the outcome and we're looking forward to the sentencing."
Trial tough on Prasad family
Detective Inspector Dave Lynch said the trial had been tough for the Prasad family.
"Firstly I'd like to acknowledge the police team that worked on the investigation, and secondly I just want to acknowledge Shalvin's family," he said.
"They've had a really tough two years or so, but the last three days has been very stressful for them, and obviously I'm pleased that they got the result they were looking for."
The jury had to "grapple with a lot of complex legal issues", he said, so the three days it took the jurors to decide on a verdict was "not surprising".Mr Prasad's parents were pleased with the jury's decision, he said.
"The parents were obviously very happy," Mr Lynch said.
"They're also expecting their first grandchild as well and now that this stress of the trial is gone the baby's due in the next couple of days, so they had a lot of things going on and they're just very thankful for the result."
Mr Lynch said he would not comment on the families of Kumar and Permal, who left the court immediately after the verdict.
Mr Prasad's parents were pleased with the jury's decision, he said.
"The parents were obviously very happy," Mr Lynch said.
"They're also expecting their first grandchild as well and now that this stress of the trial is gone the baby's due in the next couple of days, so they had a lot of things going on and they're just very thankful for the result."
How it happened
On January 30, the victim withdrew $30,050 - in $100 and $50 bills - from a Manukau bank at the request of Kumar, who waited outside.
Crown prosecutor Aaron Perkins said the pair "considered a sum of money was worth more than Mr Prasad's life".
Despite them both being charged with murder, he fingered Kumar as "the instigator and driving force" behind the crime.
He said on the night of January 30, Mr Prasad met the two defendants and was driven through south Auckland.
Shivneel Kumar, left, and Bryne Permal in court earlier this month
The Crown said the victim was assaulted at an unknown location and bundled into the boot of Permal's mother's car, driven by Kumar.
The defendants then bought 15 litres of petrol, using the stolen money, before driving to McRobbie Rd in Kingseat, where they doused the victim in petrol and set him alight.
Medical witnesses gave evidence that Mr Prasad was conscious when the fire was ignited.
In the days after the murder, Kumar spent thousands of dollars on his car and paying off various debts and on February 2 he and Permal went shopping together.
Store records showed they got tattoos, watches and t-shirts totalling nearly $2000.
Large sums were also deposited into bank accounts linked to Kumar.
