'I'm scared of you and how you snap at me,' wrote Reeva Steenkamp in text messages to Oscar Pistorius, as the prosecution painted a picture of a jealous boyfriend.

Police are hopeful the discovery of human bones in a North Shore reserve yesterday could solve the murder of Auckland woman Cissy Chen.

Gerrie Nel, the state prosecutor, stunned the court at Oscar Pistorius's murder trial last week, asking for an adjournment until tonight.

A 16-year-old who admitted assaulting Stephen Dudley - who later died - has been discharged without conviction and had his identity permanently suppressed.

Oscar Pistorius is selling the Pretoria home where he shot dead his girlfriend, as the mounting costs of his trial for murdering her spiral out of control.

Prosecutors expect to wrap up their murder case against Oscar Pistorius early next week after calling "four or five" more witnesses. The court has been adjourned until Monday.

New details of Teina Pora's appeal to the Privy Council have emerged as the twice-convicted murderer and rapist applies for bail.

A woman who drove four people accused of murdering a Featherston man to his flat thought they were just going to scare the 40-year-old, a court has heard.

Lucille Scollay loved her husband dearly, but after 20 years of misery, she finally snapped and plunged the blade of a kitchen knife deep into his chest.

The mother of tortured Rotorua three-year-old Nia Glassie has had her parole revoked by the Parole Board.

Ngatai "Mellory" Manning had vowed to go straight and clean up her life just weeks before she was brutally raped and murdered.

A mystery DNA sample could hold the key to tracing other people the Crown believes were involved in Mellory Manning's brutal murder.

Jurors in the Ngatai 'Mellory' Manning murder trial have been sent home for the night, and will resume their deliberations tomorrow.

It took less than 20 minutes for the Mongrel Mob to pluck sex worker Ngatai 'Mellory' Manning off the street before raping, bashing, and murdering her, the Crown alleges.

The trial of three men allegedly behind a near more than a year earlier than the original date of May 2015.

Murder accused Mauha Fawcett, who is conducting his own trial, has elected not to take the stand, after declaring 'his life is on the line'.

A Masterton toddler is fighting for his life in hospital and police have arrested a man for allegedly assaulting him.

A Wairarapa supermarket worker was fatally bashed by a group in a "vigilante attack'' in retaliation for an alleged rape, a court has been told.

Serial killer Joanna Dennehy joined the ranks of Rose West and the Moors Murderer Myra Hindley yesterday when she became only the third woman to be given a "whole life" jail term.

Two men found guilty of murdering Lee McMurdo during a robbery at his west Auckland home have today been handed hefty jail terms.

Police dive teams will be searching the waters around Miramar peninsula over the coming weeks as they continue to search for clues around the killer of Rongmei Fan, who was known as Mei.

A specialist scheme to identify high-risk violent spouses needs a consistent national approach, says a report into fatal domestic abuse.

A month after telling police he took part in the brutal murder of Christchurch prostitute Mellory Manning, Mongrel Mob prospect Mauha Fawcett backtracked on his story.