Cape Town – A suspect connected to the murder of a 21-year-old South African man Luke Smith, who died from injuries sustained in an alleged assault, made an appearance in the Wellington district court in New Zealand on Monday.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Siale Siale, 29, was initially charged with “wounding with reckless disregard”, but this charge was replaced with manslaughter.
Judge Brandt Shortland granted Siale bail, with conditions limiting his travel, and scheduled his next appearance in the high court for next month, the report said.
Smith was fatally injured during an alleged assault outside the Reading Cinema complex in Wellington on October 6, 2024.
He had recently moved to New Zealand from South Africa and was attending a celebration event. He was placed on life support after the incident but died in the hospital on October 8.
His family was present when life support was turned off.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
