Statement to be attributed to Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson:
On Friday 17/11 Police arrested a fifth man for the murder of 48-year-old Mark Hohua in Whakatāne.
Mr Hohua died in hospital early on June 19 from injuries sustained the previous evening
The 20-year-old man has been held in custody and is due to appear in Tauranga District Court Wednesday 7th December, charged with murder.
This follows the previous Murder charges for the same case of four men aged 25, 32, 34 and 43.
The investigation team are dedicated to piecing together the evidence and are not ruling out further charges potentially being filed.
Police would like to reiterate an appeal for anyone who has information about how Mr Hohua sustained his injuries, to come forward to Police on 105 and quote file 220618/2962.
Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-nz.org.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Team