A Supreme Court jury has found New Zealand man Paul Beveridge Maroroa guilty of manslaughter over the shooting death of a man at Maslin Beach in Adelaide in South Australia in 2000.
Paul Beveridge Maroroa in Auckland court last year. Photo: RNZ / Eva Corlett
Maroroa, 45, was acquitted of murder after the jury deliberated for five hours following a 13-day trial.
During the trial, Maroroa admitted he shot Robert Sabeckis but denied it was murder, telling the jury he was acting in self-defence when he shot him twice with a sawn-off shotgun.
During her opening address, prosecutor Sandi McDonald SC said the firearm used in the shooting was stolen from a house on New Year's Eve, in 1999, before the house was set alight.
She said the house belonged to a friend of Maroroa and he knew the gun was there.
"It's the prosecution case that the accused was the person who stole the shotgun. He went there with a clear purpose," she said.
"He took that gun to the beach where he shot and killed Robert Sabeckis."
Ms McDonald told the jury the killer also inflicted one "final act of humiliation" by pulling Mr Sabeckis' pants down to expose his genitals after the shooting.
Giving evidence in his own defence, Maroroa told the court he owed drug dealers $150 and when he could not pay it, he agreed to deliver a weapon to a man known as "Bob".
He said he met Robert "Bob" Sabeckis at the Maslin Beach car park about 1:30am and handed over the gun, which was loaded with two bullets.
"Then he's tapped the gun on my forehead and said 'you're a dumb c***', that's when everything went completely wrong," Maroroa told the court.
He said Mr Sabeckis pointed the gun at him and told him to pull down his pants.
"He was going to rape me. Rape and kill me," he told the court.
Maroroa claims he feared for his life
Maroroa told the jury he feared for his life so was forced to wrestle for the weapon and that's when he shot Mr Sabeckis twice.
Under cross-examination, Ms McDonald asked Maroroa a series of questions about how Mr Sabeckis ended up with his pants down after being shot and exactly where he was when wounded.
Maroroa told the jury he did not know.
Ms McDonald asked Maroroa if he "cobbled together" a self-defence story to explain why he shot Mr Sabeckis, but he denied that submission.
'I hope he can now rest in peace'
Outside court, the victim's niece Vilija Sabeckis said the family was pleased that the man who killed her uncle had been held to account.
"Obviously we would have preferred a guilty verdict for murder but it doesn't take away the fact that he has been found guilty of illegally killing my uncle and that's what's important to us," she said.
"While the reason behind why my uncle was killed may never be known, this verdict has brought justice in this matter.
"It offers some closure to our family, his friends and the Lithuanian community as well."
She thanked South Australia Police and the prosecution team for their efforts in solving the case and securing a conviction.
She also said her uncle would continue to be remembered fondly by her family and those close to him.
"Robert is still a very much-loved and missed member of our family," she said.
"I hope he can now rest in peace."
Maroroa will be sentenced in February 2020.
- ABC