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A close family friend of released killer Graeme Burton says he was not given the support needed to make the transition into life outside prison.
Glenys Buchanan is a family friend of Burton and has known him since he was three years old.
She said Burton had wanted to have a "really good try" at going straight when he got out of prison.
He was shot and captured by police in Lower Hutt on Saturday after a manhunt. A member of the public was killed shortly beforehand.
Ms Buchanan told National Radio today that she had last seen Burton in August, when he was studying at polytechnic.
However, she had been contacted by his parole officer after Burton first breached his bail conditions in October. He was found quickly, but she was contacted again at the beginning of December when he apparently breached bail again.
Ms Buchanan said she did not believe he was supported in the transition from prison life to life outside.
The Parole Board had broached the idea of supervised visits with her prior to his release, which she had agreed to -- but they had never eventuated.
"To my mind, anybody who has been incarcerated for fourteen years literally has to come out and test the water first, find out just what life is," she said. "Well, it didn't happen."
Burton, 35, was granted parole in June last year after serving 14 years for the murder of Paul Anderson outside a Wellington nightclub in 1992.
Both the Parole Board and the Government have launched inquiries into the decision behind Burton's release and how he was monitored since being granted parole.
- NZPA
