A witness says he pleaded with a man not to use his car to transport a kidnapped woman.
Sovanarith Ing is giving evidence from an unknown location by closed-circuit television to a closed court.
Six men are on trial for charges including kidnapping and the manslaughter of 50-year-old Jindarat Prutsiriporn.
Jindarat Prutsiriporn died in hospital from her injuries. Photo: NZ Police
Seng Lek Liev, Apichart Korhomklang, Luigi Havea, Tafito Vaifale and Joseph Haurua have all denied charges of manslaughter and kidnapping.
A sixth man - Tevita Fangupo - faces a charge of kidnapping only.
Ms Prutsiriporn died from a serious head injury after falling from the boot of a moving car in the south Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe in March last year.
Mr Ing said his day started with a long drive, after he agreed to take a man he knew as Soda, along with Soda's friend Jack, into town.
He confirmed Soda was Sodarith Sao, who admitted charges of kidnapping and manslaughter on the morning of the trial.
Jack has been identified as Seng Lek Liev - the man the Crown says was behind the kidnapping.
He told the court Jack asked him to drive to a house in Mangere, where he was introduced to a man he described as "ugly".
Jack told him they needed to put a Thai woman in the boot of his car, Mr Ing told the court.
Mr Ing said he told the others he was a family man and had kids. He even pleaded with them to kill him.
He was shocked and terrified but Jack told him he had no choice, he told the court.
Mr Ing said he told Jack he was worried about the woman screaming but Jack said the woman was tied up and couldn't make any noise.
He also offered Mr Ing methamphetamine, but Mr Ing said he declined and threw his keys on the ground.
Eventually, Ms Prutsiriporn was put in the boot of his car and driven by someone else, he said.
Earlier he confirmed that he had worked as a butcher and kept knives and a sharpening steel in the boot of his car.
The Crown says Ms Prutsiriporn stashed a knife down the front of her trousers and used the chef's steel to jimmy the boot open and escape.
She fell from the moving car and died days later in hospital.