Tialoren Topping (49) came before the Dunedin District Court this week — 10 months after her sentencing for being an accessory to the killing.
The defendant had been drinking with Naomi Lee Morrison at her Tanner Rd home in August 2021 when the woman said she had something to show her.
The body of the victim — 41-year-old Ameria Whatuira — had been left on the deck, wrapped in bedding, for several days.
The two women buried her in a shallow grave in the backyard.
Morrison pleaded guilty to murder and in October last year and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 12 years, three months.
Less than a fortnight after the High Court sentencing, Topping, who had completed her sentence, called police in an agitated state, the court heard this week.
She had been on a "bender" since Morrison was jailed, counsel Andrew Dawson said.
Topping was sitting on a bench in Fairfield when a police car drove past.
The court heard she began screaming and throwing items at the vehicle, then when it stopped she attempted to open the driver’s door.
Her ranting continued as a constable approached her but her "hay-maker" missed the mark.
"You went to whack one of the police. They managed to fend you off," Judge Quentin Hix summarised.
On the way to the Dunedin central police station, Topping made numerous threats against Morrison and said she wanted to go back to prison so she could kill her.
Mr Dawson said the defendant’s medication, which helped her with "slowing down and thinking things through", had been stolen.
Topping remembered little of the incident, he said, but recalled feeling angry.
She accepted she had an alcohol problem.
"Really it was a cry for help," Mr Dawson said.
The court heard the mother of six now planned to move away from Dunedin to leave behind negative influences.
Judge Hix said the details of Topping’s background in a report made for "sad reading".
"We’ve got to try and help you the best we can," he said.
"You need to be the best mum you can be."
On charges of assaulting police and threatening to kill, Topping was sentenced to 15 months’ intensive supervision.
