An Auckland man allegedly tried to kill his wife after his marriage broke down and then fatally drove down a woman who went to help her, the High Court in Auckland heard today.

Soafa Niumagumagu is facing charges of murder, attempted murder and assault with a weapon following the violent rampage on Mahunga Drive in Māngere Bridge on June 20, 2019.

A 32-year-old woman who was allegedly hit by Niumagumagu’s car died at the scene. His wife suffered stab wounds but was later discharged from hospital.

Detective Constable Gavin Keene told the court he was initially told there had been a stabbing and a person had died at the scene.

“As we drove along Mahunga Drive … we saw Hastie Avenue was cordoned off with scene guards.

“We walked towards Oji Fibre Solutions, we could see police tape completely across the entrance.”

Prior to the incident, Niumagumagu had a number of conversations at his workplace about his relationship with his wife, the jury heard.

Two weeks before the incident, a colleague of Niumagumagu’s told the courtroom he had a tearful exchange with the man. They talked about his wife leaving him and how he should focus on caring for his daughter, he said.

Another colleague of Niumagumagu told the courtroom he had more than one conversation with him about his relationship with his wife.

“It seems like things are torn apart, things not looking well between him and his partner at the time,” he told the courtroom.

“He talk about the anger that he had, the pain he had, the good things he had done for the wife and the family and [how] it’s very, very painful.

“He used wording in Samoan language for painful thing … he never said he was going to kill someone but said he would hurt someone to finish the pain.”

“He was crying hard and I feel sorry for him … and at the end he thanked me for the advice. I tried my best to help him and that’s the end of the conversation.”

He mentioned a Sapelu, a Samoan word for a large knife, the colleague said.

[The trial continues]

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