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A young man killed his estranged lover in a frenzied and violent attack in Whangarei before killing himself.
Police confirmed today the bodies of the young couple found in a Fourth Avenue Whangarei house yesterday were murder and suicide victims.
But they would not release further details, including names, until they were satisfied families of both had been told,
"It is apparent now we are dealing with a murder-suicide," said Detective Senior Sergeant Marty Ruth.
The woman's injuries had shocked the first police on the scene.
"These domestic related killings are often the most horrific because there is a little bit of anger there," he said.
"Luckily up here we have got a lot of seasoned, hardened guys who have been in the job for a while...
"The scene examination itself is one of the hardest tasks to perform, particularly in a crime like this."
He said it was particularly hard to deal with such a tragedy at Christmas.
The bodies of the two were removed to Auckland for a post mortem today.
- NZPA
