Teenager Ariki Rigby was murdered because of a Mongrel Mob t-shirt.
The t-shirt’s owner was the man who killed her, Jimmy Turu Heremaia, who had been “de-patched” by his gang chapter after Rigby was seen wearing the shirt in public.
This was against the “gang code”, the High Court at Napier has been told.
Rigby died on or about September 2, 2022. Her body was found in a burned-out car in a riverside car park near Havelock North three days later.
In the court on Friday, Heremaia pleaded guilty to Rigby’s murder, allowing the story of her death, which had previously been suppressed, to be told.
He also pleaded guilty to the arson of the car she was found in, having doused it with petrol and set it alight with her body inside.
Rigby died after she was bashed twice in the head during an argument between the two at Bay View, north of Napier.
The murder weapon was a hammer she had brought with her for self-defence.
About 15 members of Rigby’s family watched quietly from the public gallery as Heremaia pleaded guilty via an audio-visual link from prison.
Justice Dale La Hood remanded him in custody for sentencing in April, when he will appear alongside his friend Ropine Paul, who has admitted being party to arson after buying the petrol which Heremaia used to burn the car.
“We acknowledge Ariki’s whanau, who have waited so long to see the person responsible held accountable for her tragic death,” De Lange said.
“We also acknowledge those police staff who worked meticulously over a long period of time to piece together the evidence that has brought about this result today.”
Rigby’s cousin Michael Ngahuka, who has acted as a spokesman for the whānau since her death, said the guilty plea was a “great conclusion from this horrendous ordeal” but it was not “justice”.
“As this story plays across the media, really is it honouring Ariki,” Ngahuka wrote on social media.
“She deserved better, she deserved her life.
“On the sentencing date, we will ride in her honour from the crime scene to where she was found, then to the final sentencing, we can make a whole lot of noise at the request of her mum, sistah, my extended family.
“Much love cuzn rest well.”
Heremaia, 32, was a patched member of the Flaxmere chapter of the Mongrel Mob.
Between August 29 and September 3, 2022 Heremaia was driving back and forth between Wairoa and Napier in a grey Toyota sedan.
He had borrowed it from his Mob captain on the pretence of needing a car for work.
On one of these journeys, Ariki Rigby travelled with him. Some time in the last two days of August, she came into possession of the t-shirt.
In the early hours of August 31, Rigby was seen by another patched Mongrel Mob member wearing the shirt in public in Hastings.
Gang regalia is subject to rules. Allowing anyone else to wear it is seen by members as a serious violation – particularly if the non-gang member wearing it is female.
In the words of a Crown summary of facts presented to the court: “Ms Rigby being seen wearing the Mongrel Mob t-shirt was the catalyst for the events that followed, and led to her death.”
“The removal of Mr Heremaia’s patch meant that he had been ‘de-patched’ from the Mongrel Mob because of the incident involving Ms Rigby and the Mongrel Mob t-shirt,” the summary of facts said.
About 9.52 that night, Heremaia met Rigby in Onekawa, Napier and she got into his car.
They drove to Bay View, north of the city, where they parked up.
Rigby had a hammer with her as she feared for her safety.
The two argued and Rigby swung the hammer at Heremaia. He blocked her, overpowered her, and took the hammer from her.
He hit her twice in the head, causing skull and brain injuries which led to her death.
Heremaia picked the young woman’s body up from the ground and put her in the back seat of the car.
He drove towards Napier, then the rural area of Puketapu. He was in a panic, deciding what to do and how to dispose of Rigby’s body.
Police later used CCTV cameras and cellphone data to trace the journey. This also captured a Google search Heremaia made for “river parking”.
Heremaia eventually made his way to Paul’s house in Havelock North, where he changed out of his blood-stained clothes into fresh ones his friend gave him. He put the soiled clothes in the car with Rigby’s body.
About 1.45am, CCTV cameras in Havelock North captured both vehicles being driven towards River Rd, where there is a carpark next to the Tukituki River.
Rigby’s body was still face-down on the back seat of the Toyota.
Heremaia parked the car, poured petrol through it and set it on fire.
He then ran to Paul’s car a short distance away.
According to the Crown summary of facts, it was then that Heremaia told Paul that he had killed Ariki Rigby
Police later inspected the burned-out car in the car park but mistook Rigby’s body for that of a sheep.
Rigby’s body was identified as human remains after a man walking a dog took a closer look and raised the alarm.
