Teen's false Facebook profile lured partner to Anzac Ave meeting before stabbing

Micah Shannon Santos, pictured at his first appearance last November, stabbed Crystal Angel Tupou. Photo / Sam Hurley

An Auckland teenager who has admitted attempting to murder his recent ex-partner did so by luring her to a meeting with a false Facebook account before stabbing her 20 times.

Micah Shannon Santos, now 19, was charged with attempting to kill his partner Crystal Angel Tupou along Anzac Ave last year.

Several pedestrians came to the then 18-year-old Tupou's aid as she lay wounded on the central Auckland street on November 22.

Santos was due to go to trial before a High Court jury later this year but changed his plea to guilty after a hearing this month, as first reported by the Herald.

He will now be sentenced in October.

Court documents released to the Herald which detailed his offending, however, remained suppressed until the gag order lapsed yesterday.

The files show Santos and Tupou had been in a relationship for eight to nine months after meeting at a course that they were both attending on Anzac Ave.

Their relationship, however, was characterised by a series of breakups and reconciliations during which Santos would regularly accuse Tupou of having relationships with other people.

On a Saturday evening last November, Santos began to grow angry when Tupou posted a series of Snapchat stories of her with other men, court documents read.

The following day, November 18, Santos attempted to contact Tupou on Facebook but she told him she wanted to break up, and blocked him from contacting her.

On the same day, Santos also received a Snapchat picture which appeared to show Tupou in a compromising position with another man.

This further angered Santos who began to contemplate harming Tupou.

Crystal Angel Tupou. Photo / Supplied

On the Monday, Tupou again spoke to Santos - this time on the phone - and reiterated that she no longer wanted to be with him.

Santos, however, began scheming.

He decided to create a false Facebook identity - posing as a "Sarah Hussein" - and suggested "Sarah" was a friend of Santos.

He asked Tupou to meet with Sarah for lunch and talk.

Over the course of the morning of November 22, Santos resolved to kill Tupou, court documents read. He went to the kitchen and armed himself with two knives, one of which was a long-bladed carving knife which he placed in a Louis Vuitton bag.

Prior to leaving his house, Santos - as Sarah - contacted Tupou again and arranged to meet her at a carpark on Anzac Ave at 1pm.

After arriving, he waited inside the parking building for 15 minutes but after Tupou failed to show walked down the hill to Britomart Train Station to look for her.

He was unable to find her, so decided to catch the train home.

While preparing to catch a second train back to Sunnyvale, however, Sarah received a message from Tupou confirming their meeting on Anzac Ave.

Santos immediately made his way to the carpark on Anzac Ave.

On arrival he approached Tupou and a heated argument ensued.

Santos told her he wished to kill her before putting his hands around her throat and squeezing tightly, court documents read.

After he released her he pulled the carving knife from his bag.

Tupou said: "You don't have the guts to do it."

Santos returned the knife to the bag and the pair continued arguing.

But as Tupou attempted to walk away, Santos grabbed her and tried to drag her into the carpark.

He released her when she began to scream, but as Tupou continued to shout, Santos turned around while holding the knife in the sleeve of his jumper.

"Are you serious Micah, would you do that to me?" Tupou said.

Santos grabbed her by the neck and stabbed her in the stomach.

As Tupou fell to the ground Santos struck her repeatedly with the knife, including while she lay on the ground.

He even paused at one point to put the knife in his opposite hand, before continuing to stab her, court documents show.

A police photographer takes photos of the crime scene outside the Wilson Parking building on Anzac Ave. Photo / Dean Purcell

In total Santos stabbed Tupou upwards of 20 times - inflicting life-threatening injuries.

One stab wound was only centimetres away from her heart.

When several members of the public began to intervene Santos dropped the knife and fled the scene.

As he was running to Britomart he also dropped his bag which was picked up by a member of the public.

He was arrested after catching a train to Orakei where police were waiting for him - he had phoned 111 and admitted stabbing Tupou.

Tupou, meanwhile, was taken to Auckland Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery and remained in critical care for several days.

When interviewed by police, Santos said he went to the meeting to kill Tupou and had chosen knives which would inflict the most serious injuries.

He also said if he had not managed to kill her on that day he would have done it on the following day.