ag-19dec2012

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Guardian

Ashburton

www.guardianONLINE.co.nz

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

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Bloodied hand print found By Susan Sandys

Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 181212-TM-126

ONLINE.co.nz

Police are looking at the possibility Sina Solomona’s murder was sexually motivated, and have discovered a bloodied hand print on a nearby clothing bin. Detective senior sergeant John Rae said at a press conference yesterday it did not appear the victim was raped, but could not rule out a sexual element to the attack. And in describing the injuries suffered by the 22-year-old, killed in her home around 2.30am on Saturday, he agreed it could be interpreted that the attacker was angry at his victim. Post mortem results had revealed more injuries not previously evident. Some of the injuries were likely to be caused by a sharp blade and some were likely to be caused by blunt trauma. It was unknown which injuries were inflicted first, and most of them were in the area of her head, and they included cuts around the victim’s face and throat. Police did not have an indication as to what had caused the blunt force trauma at this stage. A weapon had been found near her body, but it was unknown whether or not it had been used in the attack. Mr Rae was confident of ultimately making an arrest. “We will bring someone to justice for it, it’s a horrific crime, we have a three-year-old who doesn’t have a mother,” he said. Sina is survived by daughter Kaira, who is being cared for by extended family members. Mr Rae said a bloodied hand print had been discovered on a nearby clothing bin. The Cass Street house of the victim is just one block from the Salvation Army shop. Police were checking the contents of clothing bins in the town and they were being examined. The father of Sina’s daughter is not a suspect, he was not in Ashburton at the time, and while she had a partner, his movements had been accounted for. However, police believe the attacker knew his victim and intended to kill her. They have spoken to family members, who are also not believed to be implicated, and were looking at

Homicide detective John Rae talks to media at a conference at the Ashburton Police Station yesterday.

Check out our video direct and wider connections, such as through work, sports clubs and friends. There was no specific persons of interest to the inquiry at this stage. Whether the murderer was among the 25 to 30 people police had already interviewed was unknown. “But given we still have a large number of people to speak to it’s just as likely (the offender is still to

Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 181212-TM-019

Police forensic staff continued to work at the Cass Street murder scene yesterday.

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be spoken to),” he said. There was no sign of forced entry to the house, and the back door was unlocked. “We assume whoever it was has gone through the back door,” Mr Rae said. However, it was unknown whether the attacker was already in the house when Sina was dropped home, by her sister’s partner some time between 2.20am and 2.30am on Saturday, or whether he came to the property afterwards. Sina finished a shift at 1am at CMP Canterbury, then went to a friend’s house before phoning her sister’s partner to pick her up. She was discovered fatally injured at around 2.36am, by her step brother. He had trouble opening the back door of the house and thought she was fooling around by not letting him in, but when he entered the house he saw she was lying at the door in a pool of blood. Mr Rae said while her step brother thought Sina may have been trying to talk to him, he believed in reality this was probably a “misinterpretation” as she probably would not have been able to. The number of police working on the investigation was about 20 and would be increasing today. Yesterday forensic mapping of the house was underway, this involved preparing a plan of the house and mapping out the location of furniture and other items, and getting a family representative to inform whether any items were new or missing from the crime scene. Once all forensic examinations were done, the house could be returned to the family, and he expected that would have been by late yesterday. The Guardian understands the family is desperate to find another property to live in, as they do not wish to reside at the house.

Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 181212-TM-018

The block of Cass Street between Cox Street and Peter Street remained a crime scene as police continued their murder investigations yesterday.

Residents’ lives put on hold By Susan Sandys Life as they know it has been put on hold for residents along a block of Cass Street after a murder occurred in one of its homes on Saturday. The road outside the households along the block, between Peter Street and Cox Street, remained closed yesterday, with road cones blocking either end. A police caravan remained on the street across the road from the cordoned-off victim’s home, as assorted police vehicles continued to come and go and forensic staff prowled the neighbourhood. Directly across the road from the Cass Street house is Ashburton’s Seventh Day Adventist Church, where police have been using the grounds as an extension of their caravan base. Clerk Bev Cameron said the church’s weekly service last Saturday had been transferred to the Ashburton Baptist Church, as parishioners would not have been able to reach the church with the road closed. “I would like to sneak along and clean the church but I daren’t,” Mrs Cameron said yesterday. There was to be a baptism at the church this coming Saturday. “We are sort of wondering we have to fill this font, who is going to come and lift the cover off,

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somebody suggested asking the police.” However, she expected police would move from the scene this week and there would be time to go to the church and prepare it for Saturday’s service. “It’s sad,” she said of the crime. “I also feel sorry for whoever did its family.” Surrounding residents spoke to the Guardian yesterday, after having been out of reach in previous days. Media wanting to knock on their doors to talk to residents had been told to move on by police. Yesterday those within the cordoned area said they did not feel a sense of unease living near where the murder occurred. They believed the attack was a oneoff event, and felt police had the investigation under control. “For Ashburton it’s a very unusual occurrence,” one woman said. She had her husband had only just moved to the town, from North Canterbury, a few days earlier. Another said two homes for sale in the street had had their for sale signs temporarily removed. “I don’t think you would be buying the house next door at the moment,” he said. Life is expected to return to normal on the street today, as police wind up crime scene investigations. “It’s a pretty quiet neighbourhood,” the man said.

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Patrons at the Devon Tavern have been reaching into their pockets to help out the family of murder victim Sina Solomona. Staff member Carla Skilling (left) with a donation box for fellow staff member Maria, who is the step sister of the victim. “She will be going through hell, all we can do is be here for her, and do this collection.” Sina lived just a couple of blocks from the tavern and celebrated her 21st birthday there. Carla said as rumours had circulated about the murder in recent days she had aimed to keep any discussions in the pub low-key out of respect for the family. “I don’t know anything so we are better not to say anything.” Patrons had been incredibly generous with the collection, and notes contributed were having to regularly be moved to the pub’s safe.

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