The court heard that the landlord found Kleiman, 56, dead the next day in the living room. He was lying on his back with a gunshot wound to the right side of his mouth protruding from the back of his head.

The Crown said the trio allegedly came up with the “accident narrative” that the gun went off when Kingi sat down and panicked and left.

CCTV also captured Jamieson returning to the property, where the Crown alleges he tampered with evidence by placing a mat over a pool of blood and throwing away the firearm.

Farrell allegedly took Kingi north and tried to get two witnesses to recant their statements.

Farrell faces one count of accessory after the fact to murder and two counts of perverting the course of justice. Jamieson faces a charge of perverting the course of justice.

The trio pleaded not guilty to all charges, with Kingi’s defense team arguing they would never intend to harm a man he considered a friend.

“Bob asked if I wanted to see the gun”

When Kingi was interviewed by Constable Arvin Broderick, he refused to do a taped interview with evidence, instead providing a written statement in the presence of his lawyer, Martin Hislop.

Broderick testified that Kingi was withdrawn and difficult to engage with. The officer read the defendant’s statement to the court.

The statement said Kingi was at the Onerahi home doing renovations as he and Farrell planned to move.

Kingi said he was inside tinkering with tools when his friend Kleiman arrived. Farrell arrived some time later, and Kingi said in her statement that she went outside to kiss her 7-week-old baby.

“I came back into the house and sat down on the couch in the living room.

“Bob asked if I wanted to see the gun,” the statement said.

Kingi said he had the gun in his hand and when he turned to sit down, it went off.

“I panicked and looked where Bob was, saw he had a head wound and knew I couldn’t help him. Bob and I were the only ones in the house at the time of the incident.”

Broderick said that when Kingi was asked who was driving the vehicle that fled the scene, he declined to comment and ended the interview.

Medical evidence

Medical examiners testified Friday that the fatal shot entered the right corner of Kleiman’s mouth, with blood spattering on his right hand and wrist.

Coroner Charles Glen performed Kleiman’s autopsy and gave evidence as to the nature of the gunshot wound that led to his death.

Glen said Kleiman’s death would have been almost instantaneous and the shot went through his brain stem, which he could not survive.

Glen said there was no soot outside the tank. Instead, it was found inside Kleiman’s mouth, indicating that the barrel of the gun was making contact with the skin when it went off.

“When explosions occur, the gunpowder turns to soot and comes out the end of the barrel.

“If we see soot in the wound, it can tell us it was very close,” Glen said.

Glen said there were also several other indications of the weapon’s close range, including the lack of scratches or abrasions on the skin.

“The gun made contact with his skin when it was fired, at the corner of his mouth.”

Glen said Kleiman also had bruises on his abdomen, hips and torso, but he could not clarify when the victim might have received those injuries.

Under cross-examination, Hislop asked Glen if it was possible that the gun’s contact with the skin was momentary, to which Glen replied: “Any scenario could be possible.”

Digitally recreated images of the living room layout were produced, which showed the house to be largely empty, with various items strewn about.

In the living room, Kleiman’s body lay dead on the floor in front of a desk that had a couch behind it.

ESR forensic scientist Angus Newton confirmed that the distance from the couch to where Kleiman was lying dead on the floor was over five feet.

Newton also confirmed that Kleiman had blood spatter marks on his wrist and right hand, and confirmed that the bath mat placed over the dripping blood near his head was placed there after he was shot.

The trial continues next week.

Shannon Pitman is a reporter for Open Justice in Whangārei, covering the courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. Joined NZME in 2023.