Source: Radio New Zealand
Michael Scott Rodger is on trial for murdering Richard Leman. RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon
Crown prosecutors have been accused of being “underhanded and dishonest” by ignoring crucial evidence around the brutal killing of a Canterbury man, a High Court jury has heard.
Michael Scott Rodger, 46, is accused of murdering Richard Leman, 41, whose body was found in the boot of his own car parked at an abandoned house in Tyler Street in Rangiora in April 2023.
Leman’s torso was found in the car but his head, legs and arms are still missing.
Rodger denies shooting or killing the father-of-three.
Closing arguments were heard in the High Court at Christchurch on Monday in front of Justice Jonathan Eaton.
The jury heard from Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes for more than two hours, where he explained the case against Rodger was “overwhelming”.
In response, Rodger’s defence lawyer Ethan Huda said there were legitimate questions around the circumstances of Leman’s death.
He explained the Crown had failed to mention, in its closing arguments, evidence from a pathologist who found Leman could have been stabbed before being shot.
“There’s a reasonable doubt about what happened at the crime scene. There’s a reasonable doubt as to what happened around the time of death,” Huda said.
“I suggest…that when you get to [the pathologist’s] evidence during your deliberation, the Crown’s case evaporates into the thin air like candy floss. It’s good to look at, it’s even good to taste from a certain angle, but it’s fluff.
“It’s disrespectful to 12 members of the jury to think you can hide evidence from them. A pathetic attempt at proving its case.”
The Crown argues Rodger shot Leman twice, first in the leg, then a fatal shot to his chest.
Richard Leman’s torso was found in a car, but his head, legs and arms are still missing. Supplied / NZ Police
Earlier in the trial, pathologist Dr Leslie Anderson said Leman was also stabbed in the back.
The defence said key Crown witnesses Morgan Grant and Sara Plimmer, who were with Leman the night he died, did not reference a stabbing during their respective testimonies.
The defence also outlined a text message exchange between Grant and another person, three days after Leman’s murder, which referenced the involvement of not one, but multiple “fugitives”.
In his closing arguments for the Crown, Hawes told jurors “objective evidence” proved there was only one possible killer.
“I suggest the way to approach the case is to start with what is fixed and independent, the pathology, the CCTV and telecommunications records, and all the forensic work and the linkages back to Mr Rodger,” he said.
“Any other possible explanation you’re looking at bring it back to this core, objective evidence. When you do that, I suggest the evidence clearly converges on one person and one person only and that is Mr. Rodger.”
Hawes said the accused’s claim that another unidentified person was the killer remained implausible.
“Mr. Roger would have you believe he’s unlucky.
“It’s not simply bad luck, that he was at the scene. It certainly was for Richard Leman. It’s not bad luck that both eyewitnesses name him as the perpetrator.
“I suggest he’s not unlucky, I suggest he’s guilty.”
The Crown said no-one gave Leman first-aid or called emergency services and Leman died within minutes.
The jury heard that Rodger threatened to kill Grant and Plimmer, took Leman’s drugs and cash and dragged his body into another room.
Justice Eaton was due to sum up the case on Tuesday before the jury retires for deliberations.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
