From Stuff.co.nz:

Murder accused ‘walked victim home’

The man accused of the brutal slaying and sexual violation of a Wanganui barmaid on her 20th birthday offered to walk her home after they socialised together, a court was told yesterday.

Shane Daniel Randle, 28, denies murdering Tania Rebecka McKenzie on January 7, 2005. He also denies two counts of sexually violating her.

Ms McKenzie’s naked body was found floating in Whanganui River. A post mortem revealed she had died from multiple crushing, blunt force injuries to her face and head, with multiple facial and skull fractures and lacerations to her brain.

Ms McKenzie and Randle both worked at the Red Lion Inn, she as a barmaid and he as a bouncer.

Ms McKenzie worked on January 6, and after the bar closed around midnight a group of staff and patrons stayed on to celebrate her birthday, which fell on January 7.

Craig Ansley, a manager at the bar, told the High Court in Wellington yesterday as celebrations went on Ms McKenzie was “very boisterous” and intoxicated.

“If she was a patron of mine during work hours I would not have served her another drink,” he said.

He said Randle was not too drunk to be served, but was marginal.

When Mr Ansley and duty manager Daniel Simpson decided it was time to lock up the bar, Randle offered to walk Ms McKenzie home.

Mr Ansley said Ms McKenzie did not seem to mind and thought it was nice that someone had offered.

Under cross-examination by assistant defence counsel Lance Rowe, Mr Ansley said the accused and the victim were friends but were not in a relationship.

He said Randle was wearing two silver rings that night, one of which may have had a skull on it.

Mr Rowe suggested Mr Ansley had seen them a different night, but he said he was sure.

“No, it was the night in question that I had specifically seen the rings on his fingers.”

Part of the crown case is that a bloodstain on one of Randle’s rings contained Ms McKenzie’s DNA, as did blood found in his washing machine and on a towel at his flat.

Under further cross-examination Mr Ansley agreed the victim was “a bit of a party girl”.

He remembered seeing her come into a service station he worked at a month or so earlier with a black eye.

Several witnesses gave evidence about seeing Randle, Ms McKenzie and colleague Mr Simpson in central Wanganui in the early hours of January 7.

Two women said they particularly noticed Randle because of his shaved head and a Nazi symbol tattooed on his neck.

The crown says after being in town, Randle and the victim went to her flat where she changed her shoes and did her hair, then the pair went out again about 3am.

A silent 111 call came from her cellphone at 4.18am and her body was found partially submerged in the river about 10.30am that day.

The trial is expected to last around three weeks.