Juliana Bonilla-Herrera Photo: Supplied
A man on parole who brutally murdered Colombian woman Juliana Bonilla-Herrera in her Christchurch home has been jailed for life for a crime described as a person's "worst nightmare".
Convicted rapist Joseph James Brider attacked Bonilla-Herrera as she slept in her bed in Addington in January 2022, just nine weeks after he was paroled from prison.
Justice Jonathan Eaton sentenced Brider to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 23 years and preventive detention at the High Court in Christchurch, meaning he will be managed by the Department of Corrections for the rest of his life.
Brider was living next door to Bonilla-Herrera when he broke into her flat and subjected her to a prolonged and violent attack, repeatedly stabbing and beating her as she begged for her life.
Crown prosecutor Claire Boshier told the court Bonilla-Herrera's murder was the "worst type of case".
"For any female or any person living alone, this would be their worst nightmare, to be attacked in the supposed safety and security of your own bed," she said.
"This murder involved a high degree of brutality, cruelty, depravity and callousness. The sanctity of her home was violated in the worst possible way."
The first 10 minutes of Bonilla-Herrera's horrific ordeal was captured on a sleep app recording on her phone.
"This 10 minutes is graphic, disturbing and distressing in the extreme," she said.
"Mr Brider's level of cruelty is no better demonstrated than when Ms Bonilla-Herrera repeatedly begs for her life. His response is brutal and unpitying."
Brider told a report writer than he felt "better for hurting someone" after her murder.
He moved to the flat used for rehabilitating former prisoners in November 2021 but the Department of Corrections did not notify Bonilla-Herrera that her new neighbour was on parole for rape.
In the weeks before she was murdered she told friends Brider was watching her and she felt threatened and unsafe.
The court heard Brider took an unhealthy interest in Bonilla-Herrera almost immediately after moving into the adjoining flat, searching for "Colombia lady" online just a week after he moved in.
He bought rolls of masking tape, a box of condoms, latex gardening gloves and searched Bonilla-Herrera's name online in the weeks before the attack.
Brider also searched for pornography online on the night of the murder.
Bonilla-Hererra returned home from a night out with a friend when she saw Brider sitting on the porch.
She asked the friend to drive her to her door and wait until she was inside because she felt unsafe.
Bonilla-Herrera was found dead by concerned friends after she failed to turn up for a bike ride the following morning.
Brider's lawyer James Rapley KC told the court his guilty plea meant he had accepted murdering her.
"The murder of Ms Bonilla-Herrera was brutal, callous and depraved. It's hard to imagine that someone could commit such a crime and no-one will understand why someone would act in that way," he said.
Brider had been diagnosed with "psychopathic tendencies", he said.
Bonilla-Herrera's family attended the hearing remotely from Colombia, while friends packed the court to see her killer jailed for life.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by Claire Boshier, Saray Bonilla said she was supposed to be reunited with her sister in April.
"I have lost the most extraordinary, kind and affectionate person in my life. There are no words to describe this loss," she said.
"There are no words or adjectives to describe the profound sadness that overwhelms my heart since the day I found out my sister was no longer with us.
"When a person like my sister leaves this world, it's a loss for the entire world."
Video footage and photos of Bonilla-Herrera were also screened in court as part of a DVD tribute from her colleagues, in which she spoke directly to the camera about her work at a 3D visualisation business.
Following the sentencing, Juliana Bonilla-Herrera's family released a statement, saying their lives had changed in the most terrifying an unexpected way possible.
"I don't think anyone can measure the great pain we still go through today," the statement said.
"Juliana, an extraordinary, beautiful and kind woman, with a great heart willing to always give, is gone, but her spirit will always be among us.
"This tragedy should have never happened to Juliana and she should still be alive.
"We still have hope that her departure is not in vain, that her departure has set off the alarms and is a warning to prevent these types of cases in the future."
Bonilla-Herrera's family was briefed on the findings of a Department of Corrections review of Brider's management by chief probation officer Darius Fagan.
Canterbury district manager Toni Stewart said the review found the actions of staff neither caused nor could have prevented the crime.
"Many people worked hard to ensure Mr Brider had the right support in place and the review found he was managed appropriately, with a significant level of oversight and support provided to him both prior to and after his release from prison," she said.
"At no point were any concerns raised with Corrections about his integration into the community."
Brider was granted parole by the New Zealand Parole Board and released from prison in November 2021, three months ahead of his statutory release date.
He was assessed as being a medium-to-high risk of reoffending and paroled under 14 special conditions, including electronic monitoring.
Justice Eaton told the court Brider was drinking alcohol and endeavouring to start relationships with women, in breach of his release conditions, and breached his 10pm-6am curfew when he left his flat to attack Bonilla-Herrera.
"It seems clear the curfew breach when you broke into your neighbour's flat was not notified to those who were monitoring your movements. If that is indeed correct, it is a matter that requires urgent attention by the relevant agencies," he said.
Stewart said Brider's curfew was not loaded into the electronic monitoring system as required, but an alert would not have been generated at the time of the murder because Bonilla-Herrera's flat was next door.
"As a result, we are working with our electronic monitoring provider to enhance monitoring at addresses that are in close proximity to other properties," she said.
"The probation officer was completing regular checks of his compliance with his electronic monitoring conditions, including the curfew, during the period he was on parole in the community. He had not breached this special condition prior to the night of the murder."
The department is also reviewing the workloads of community corrections staff and has assigned a dedicated manager to work with reintegration service providers.
Last September New Zealand Parole Board chair Sir Ron Young commissioned an independent review of the decision to release Brider.
Professor Devon Polaschek concluded the board's decision was "reasonable" and it was very unlikely that holding Brider until his statutory release date would have been better.
The Department of Corrections has commissioned a separate independent review by clinical psychologist Dr Gwenda Willis to examine the existing notification policy on placing offenders on parole in the community.
The review will cover the current process to ensure "it is clear, transparent, fit for purpose and contributes to enhancing the safety of communities".
It will also cover recent changes in legislation, policy and practice relating to the assessment and management of accommodation in the community up to a previous review in 2018.
Relevant supported accommodation services will also be reviewed to prevent the risk of further harm to the community.
The notification policy review is expected to be completed by 31 March.