Shayde Carolyn Weston. Photo: Stuff/Juan Zarama Perini
Defence lawyers at a Wellington murder trial have accused police of downplaying their response when they arrested the victim on the night of his death.
Karori man Rau Tongia was released by police later that same night in December 2020.
Five women are charged over his death.
Shayde Carolyn Weston, Breeze Hunt-Weston, Louise Kelly Hume, and Pania Ella Waaka have all pleaded not guilty to murder.
Hunt-Weston has pleaded not guilty to additional charges - an accessory after the fact to murder, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The fifth person was due to go on trial but has not appeared due to ill health.
The Crown alleges that in the hours before Tongia's death he assaulted Weston and his death was a revenge killing.
Detective constable Mitchell Murdoch was among the police who responded to a disorder callout on Percy Dyett Dr.
Murdoch told the court that police had been told that a fight had occurred and knives may have been involved.
But he said when clearing Tongia's address there was no evidence of the alleged weapon.
He said Tongia seemed to be asleep when police entered his home and responded to their presence aggressively.
Murdoch said Tongia was arrested, and then later released.
He said Tongia's response was reasonable given the circumstances.
But defence counsel Robert Lithgow said he felt Murdoch was downplaying police's response.
He said they arrived at the address armed with firearms, ballistic armour and a dog handler.
Murdoch said that was fairly standard procedure.
Another witness who was next door told the court she could not remember anything from that night.
Crown lawyer Sally Carter responded by asking her questions from an earlier statement she had given to police.
In the statement, the woman said she was at her sister's birthday party, next door to Tongia's home.
She said Tongia, his partner and Weston all attended the party.
She felt that Tongia and his partner were trying to aggravate each other, which she said the partner did by kissing Weston.
The woman said she later saw Tongia and Weston fight.
She said both appeared to then get knives, and she witnessed Weston throwing a knife into the bushes.
Police later recovered a knife from the bushes.