View source for Cris and Cru Kahui homicides

{{Short description|2006 New Zealand murders of twin infants}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{wikinews|Twin babies in NZ foster home die of head injuries}}
The '''Cris and Cru Kahui homicides''' refers to the murders of twin brothers Christopher Arepa and Cru Omeka Kahui (20 March 2006 – 18 June 2006), two New Zealand infants who died in [[Auckland]]'s [[Starship Children's Hospital]] after being admitted with serious head injuries.<ref>{{cite news|title=Signs of earlier abuse of Kahui twins|date=18 July 2006|publisher=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dom Post]]|first=Deborah|last=Diaz}}</ref> Their family initially refused to cooperate with police in the [[homicide]] investigation into the children's murder. The father, then 21-year-old Chris Kahui, was charged with their murder. Kahui's [[defense (law)|defence]] was that the mother, Macsyna King, was responsible for the deaths. After a six-week trial, the jury took just one minute to [[acquittal|acquit]] Kahui.<ref>"The Star-Times understands the Kahui jury deliberated for just one minute not 10 minutes as previously reported. As soon as the jury was sent to deliberate, members were polled and everyone said Kahui was not guilty that took one minute. The jury then went to lunch and returned its verdict as soon as lunch was over." {{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/4568159a10.html|title=Loudmouth juror put Kahui trial at risk|last=Alexander|first=Miriyana|date=1 June 2008|work=Sunday Star Times|access-date=1 June 2008|archive-date=2 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602233857/http://www.stuff.co.nz/4568159a10.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In July 2012, a coroner's report was released, which concluded that the children's injuries occurred "whilst they were in the sole custody, care and control of their father".
==Background==
Chris and Cru Kahui were the two survivors of [[Multiple birth|triplets]] born prematurely at 29 weeks by emergency [[caesarean section]] on 20 March 2006<ref name="cover-up">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10388161|title=The Kahui twins: Murder – and the cover-up|date=24 June 2006|work=[[Weekend Herald]]|author=Carroll du Chateau|author2=Louisa Cleave|access-date=5 July 2006}}</ref> at the [[National Women's Hospital]] in [[Grafton, New Zealand|Grafton]] to parents Christopher Sonny Kahui and Macsyna Pono King. At the time of their birth, King was 29 and her partner Kahui was 21, and they were already the parents of a 13-month-old son, Shane, who was born in 2005.<ref name=":0" /> Prior to that, King, who was born in [[South Auckland]], had already had three other children in two previous relationships, and met Kahui through his father when she was 27 and he 19.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10512155|title=Macsyna's world|last=Gower|first=Patrick|date=23 May 2008|work=The New Zealand Herald|access-date=2018-01-23|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}</ref> However, the relationship was not always smooth, with a range of risk factors contributing to tension and instability for the couple prior to, and after, the arrival of their children.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzcpr.com/state-culpability-the-kahui-twins/|title=State culpability: the Kahui twins {{!}} NZCPR Site|website=www.nzcpr.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-01-23}}</ref>
After their birth, Cris and Cru spent six weeks at the Kidz First [[neonatal intensive care unit]] at [[Middlemore Hospital]]. During this time, nurses and social workers at the facility had informally raised concerns with a worker from the [[New Zealand Department of Child, Youth and Family Services]] (CYF), as the parents did not spend a lot of time with the twins. According to the hospital, parents not visiting is not considered [[child abuse]], but was a "cause for concern".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10388242|title=Nurses raised concern before twins' deaths|date=25 June 2006|publisher=[[NZPA]]|access-date=4 July 2006}}</ref> Because the infants were still technically patients of Middlemore Hospital, hospital workers regularly visited the family home. During their last visit to the hospital, Chris and Cru were reported to be healthy and well-fed. However, an [[autopsy]] showed that the infants had suffered fractured ribs in an incident prior to the fatal injuries.
==Deaths==
On 13 June 2006, upon returning home after a night of partying, King found that the twins suffered extensive bruises and that their grandfather, William "Banjo" Kahui, had performed [[cardiopulmonary resuscitation]] on them. Police said Banjo was not the only person in the house at the time. According to former [[Member of Parliament#New Zealand|MP]] [[John Tamihere]], members of Chris Kahui's extended family had said "a young relative", whom they refused to name, was caring for the infants on the day they were fatally injured.<ref>{{cite news|title=Twins 'in care of youngsters'|date=22 June 2006|publisher=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]]|first=Deborah|last=Diaz}}</ref> King and Kahui took their children to the family's [[general practitioner]], who ordered immediate hospitalisation for the infants. The coroner made a finding that Kahui refused to take the children to hospital, running away from the family car and leaving a distraught King carrying the twins in their carriers into the hospital on her own.<ref>Report of Coroner released 25 July 2012</ref>
Doctors immediately discovered that the infants had serious brain injuries.<ref name="cover-up" /> Both had suffered skull fractures from [[blunt force trauma]], and Cris had a broken [[femur]]. An [[Orthopedic surgery|orthopaedic]] specialist told ''[[The Sunday Star-Times]]'' that in order to break the femur of a baby, the bone would have to be deliberately bent at a 90-degree angle, ruling out an accidental cause of the injury.<ref>{{cite news|title=We know who killed the twins – aunts|date=2 July 2006|publisher=[[The Sunday Star-Times]]|first=Tim|last=Hume}}</ref> After the infants were transferred to Starship Children's Hospital, hospital staff notified the police. CYF removed Shane and their female cousin Cayenne, aged six months, from two rented [[Housing New Zealand]] homes – one in [[Clendon]] and the other in [[Māngere]] — where Cris and Cru had lived. Police said they were treated in hospital for injuries resulting from "[[Child neglect|neglect]]", showing signs of [[Malnutrition|malnourishment]] and poor hygiene.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=63236|title=Post mortem details of twins released|date=20 June 2006|publisher=[[Newstalk ZB]]|access-date=4 July 2006}}</ref> According to the ''Herald on Sunday'' newspaper, the two children were to be returned to the family in September 2006, but neither the parents nor members of Kahui's family who persistently refused to cooperate with police would be their caregivers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10400606|title=Kahui kids to return to family|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|date=10 September 2006|access-date=11 September 2006|first=Stephen|last=Cook}}</ref>
Cris and Cru were ultimately taken off [[life support]], with Cru being the first to die at 5 a.m. on 18 June. Cris died at 6:45&nbsp;p.m. later in the day. The bodies were released to the family on 21 June, taken to the [[Manurewa]] [[marae]] for a ''[[tangihanga]]'' (funeral rites), and were buried at the Manukau City cemetery on 24 June.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=98433 |title=Kahui twins interred |date=24 June 2006 |publisher=[[Newstalk ZB]] |access-date=4 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115322/http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=98433 |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref>
==Investigation==
The deaths of Cris and Cru resulted in an initial serious assault investigation by the [[New Zealand Police]] before charges were upgraded to [[homicide]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Police probe deaths of twins|date=19 June 2006|publisher=[[The Press]]}}</ref> The police believe that, while the infants were in hospital prior to their deaths, the Kahui family was uncooperative with any investigation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Twins' family 'agreed to thwart police'|date=24 June 2006|publisher=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]]|first=Michael|last=Field}}</ref> [[Pita Sharples]], the co-leader of the [[Māori Party]], said the family had agreed to talk to police on 26 June,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/765977|title=Sharples confident family will talk|date=26 June 2006|publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]]|access-date=4 July 2006}}</ref> but this did not happen.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswire.co.nz/main/viewstory.aspx?storyid=323664&catid=32|title=Kahui Family Fail To Front To Police|date=26 June 2006|publisher=[[NewsWire]]|access-date=4 July 2006}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Following the deaths, Sharples said he was disgusted by the Kahui family's behaviour, claiming some of them were more interested in going "to the pub and have a drink" than coming forward to police. [[Prime Minister of New Zealand|Prime Minister]] [[Helen Clark]] said it was "absolutely shocking" for the family to hide behind the funeral while everyone in the country was "shocked and revolted" by the children's injuries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10388514|title=Kahui silence disgusting, says Sharples|date=27 June 2006|publisher=[[NZPA]]|access-date=4 July 2006}}</ref> There were even reports that gang members were threatening the family in ''[[Utu (Māori concept)|utu]]'' (or revenge) over their refusal to speak.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=63456|title=Gangs want utu against Kahui family|date=27 June 2006|publisher=[[Newstalk ZB]]|access-date=4 July 2006}}</ref>
After refusing to speak to police in the week after the death, police finally went to residences of the Kahui family on 27 June. At least four family members, including King and an aunt,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswire.co.nz/main/viewstory.aspx?storyid=323939&catid=16|title=Kahui Family Talking To Police|date=28 June 2006|publisher=[[NewsWire]]|access-date=4 July 2006}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> were escorted to police stations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Police bring family in for interviews|date=28 June 2006|publisher=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]]|author=Martin Kay|author2=NZPA|author2-link=NZPA}}</ref> By 4 July, at least twenty extended family members were questioned, as well as ninety medical practitioners and staff who were in contact with the twins.<ref>{{cite news|title=20 questioned in twins case|date=4 July 2006|publisher=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]]|first=Michael|last=Field}}</ref> Forensic scientists removed items such as clothing from the Kahui residences.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=98973 |title=Baby clothes taken from Kahui home |date=3 July 2006 |publisher=[[Newstalk ZB]] |access-date=4 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115408/http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=98973 |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref> By September, police said that the family were no longer "stone-walling" their inquiries, but a ''[[prima facie]]'' case had yet to be established.<ref name="mcdonalds">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10401655|title=Kahui twins' parents put burgers before babies|date=17 September 2006|publisher=[[The New Zealand Herald#Herald on Sunday|Herald on Sunday]]|access-date=17 September 2006|first1=Stephen|last1=Cook|first2=Jared|last2=Savage}}</ref> ''[[Sunday News (New Zealand)|Sunday News]]'' reported on 17 September that a list of suspects was down to three and an arrest was imminent.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kahui twins homicide suspect list down to 3 – report|date=17 September 2006|publisher=[[NZPA]]}}</ref> This was followed by a police statement nine days later stating that they now knew who was responsible for the deaths. However, other family members could still be charged with related crimes.<ref>{{cite news|title=We know who killed the twins, say police|date=27 September 2006|publisher=[[NZPA]]}}</ref>
Two half-sisters of King appeared on [[TVNZ]]'s ''Sunday'' 23 July episode, claiming that King and her brother, Robert King, had told them the name of the killer. TVNZ censored the name when one of the women said it, but the gender was revealed to be male.<ref>{{cite news|title=Police play down arrests in Kahui case|publisher=NZPA|date=24 July 2006}}</ref> The infants' paternal grandmother, who appeared the next day on [[TV3 (New Zealand)|TV3]]'s ''Campbell Live'', contradicted this information, stating that the killer was female.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grandmother of dead twins disputes killer is a male|publisher=NZPA|date=25 July 2006}}</ref>
The homes where Cris and Cru lived were also home to at least nine adult occupants, eight of whom were on some form of [[Social security|social welfare]]. These relatives had been receiving payments totalling between $845 and $1395 a week, depending on their age and circumstances.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10388510|title=Taxpayers shell out for Kahuis|date=27 June 2006|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=4 July 2006}}</ref> [[Work and Income New Zealand]] launched an investigation to see whether all the payments were legitimate.<ref>{{cite news|title=Killing of twins prompts dole blitz|date=4 July 2006|publisher=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]]|first=Martin|last=Kay}}</ref> Two instances of substantiated [[welfare fraud|benefit fraud]] were found for one individual.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Kahuis – what's to stop it happening again?|date=11 June 2007|work=Sunday Star Times}}</ref> The Clendon house had been occupied for two to three months, but neighbours had not noticed that infants were living there. According to the neighbours, Tuesday and Thursday nights were "party nights," as this was when benefit payments were received. Loud music, foul language and fighting were frequently heard. One neighbour said that a sixteen-year-old female appeared on their doorstep at 3:30&nbsp;a.m. one morning after she said an older man at the Clendon house attempted to [[sexual assault|sexually assault]] her.<ref name="cover-up" />
===Murder arrest===
The 1 October edition of the ''Star-Times'' published an interview with Kahui, who said that he did not kill his sons, but if police could not find anyone else, "I go down for something I didn't do".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10403789|title=I didn't kill twins, asserts father|publisher=NZPA|date=1 October 2006|access-date=27 October 2006}}</ref> Investigators called Kahui's interview with the police on 3 October a "major development".<ref>{{cite news|title=Progress but no arrest in Kahui case|publisher=NZPA|date=3 October 2006}}</ref> On 26 October, a "carload of detectives" had gone to several addresses looking for Kahui, who was brought in for questioning. At 10 p.m., it was announced in a press conference that a 21-year-old man had been arrested and charged with the murder of the infants, and would appear in the Manukau [[District Courts in New Zealand|District Court]] the next day. No other family members faced charges with relation to the deaths.<ref name="arrest">{{cite news|title=Kahui twins' father charged|publisher=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|Dominion Post]]|date=27 October 2006}}</ref>
Contrary to this, the ''Sunday News'' reported on 31 December that, according to an unnamed source, a second arrest was expected. Neither the exact charges that would be laid nor the relationship of the person to the infants were revealed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fresh twist in Kahui case|publisher=Sunday News|date=31 December 2006}}</ref> Three weeks later the ''Sunday News'' said four people involved in the investigation had been summoned to appear at the Manukau District Court on 24 January. Sources told the newspaper that the new charges relate to dead infants and a pre-school child. One of those to be charged was King, the mother of Chris and Cru.<ref>{{cite news|title=Four in court for Kahui case|publisher=Sundays News|date=21 January 2007}}</ref> None of these charges eventuated. According to the ''Herald on Sunday'', a [[Microsoft Word]] file containing the press release announcing the arrest of Kahui had actually been created five days earlier, and the last edit was the day before the arrest. In the same article, the ''Herald'' reported police were questioning whether Kahui was actually the biological father of the infants.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10408119|title=Kahui twins' paternity questioned|date=29 October 2006|access-date=29 October 2006|work=The New Zealand Herald|first=Jared|last=Savage}}</ref> DNA tests later confirmed that he was the father.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10433110|title=Tests confirm Kahui was twins' dad|date=8 April 2007|access-date=18 April 2006|work=The New Zealand Herald|first=Jared|last=Savage}}</ref>
===Court appearances===
Kahui appeared in the Number One court of the Manukau District Court on 27 October for a two-minute hearing, where he was formally charged with murder. He was asked not to plead; however, outside the court, Kahui's lawyer, Lorraine Smith, said her client would "fight the charges".<ref name="arrest" /> Kahui was [[Detention of suspects|remand]]ed in police custody until 10 November, when he was freed on [[bail]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Kahui twins' father granted bail|date=10 November 2006}}</ref> A pre-[[Deposition (law)|depositions]] hearing was held 17 January. A second pre-depositions hearing was intended to take place on 21 March. This was so Kahui's lawyer could read sixty files of evidence collected by police, and for a medical expert from Australia to become available.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kahui twins' father reappears in court|date=17 January 2007|publisher=[[NZPA]]}}</ref> This second hearing was delayed because the defence was still waiting for the medical report from Australia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Further brief court appearance by father accused of killing Kahui twins|publisher=Radio New Zealand|date=21 March 2007}}</ref> The depositions hearing was finally set for 18 June, with a brief court appearance on 18 April.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kahui twins' dad sent to deposition hearing|date=18 April 2006|publisher=Fairfax Media}}</ref> This date was later changed to sometime on 13 August.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10457127&ref=rss|title=Internet can prejudice jurors – judge|date=11 August 2007|access-date=11 August 2007|work=The New Zealand Herald|first=Martin|last=Johnston}}</ref>
Kahui was found not guilty on Thursday 22 May 2008, after only one minute of deliberation by the jury. The officer who led the police investigations into the murders, Detective Inspector John Tims, said he was "disappointed" at the verdict,<ref name="nocharges">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10511099|title=No charges against Kahui twins' mother|date=22 May 2008|access-date=22 May 2008|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|first=Edward|last=Gay}}</ref> finding "no evidence to support a charge against any other person and that includes the mother, Macsyna King".<ref name="NZ_Herald_10512509">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=144&objectid=10512509 |title=Kahui case will remain closed 'at this point' |date=26 May 2008 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref> Tims acknowledged the prosecutor, who had "said in his opening and closing address that there is no new evidence to support a charge being laid against the mother, Macsyna King".<ref name="nocharges" /> No charges were laid against King.<ref name="nocharges" /> Kahui's lawyer has threatened to lodge a complaint with the Police Complaints Authority over police handling of the prosecution of her client for the murder of the twins.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10512260">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1501822&objectid=10512260 |title='Furious' Kahui defence launch police complaint |date=24 May 2008 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref>
=== Coroner's report ===
Coroner Gary Evans released a report into the deaths of the children in July 2012. He found that the twins had suffered the brain injuries which led to their deaths during the afternoon or early evening of 12 June 2006, at a time "whilst they were in the sole custody, care and control of their father", Kahui. He said there was no evidence or fact to support that injuries being caused by King. Kahui, who gave evidence to the coroner's inquest, attempted to prevent the publication of the report.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10821857 |title=Coroner points at Kahui |first=Jared |last=Savage |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=25 July 2012 |access-date=25 July 2012}}</ref>
== Significance ==
The case highlighted the fact that Māori children are more than twice as likely to die as a result of abuse than non-Māori<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/2004/safety/child-abuse-neglect.html|title=Child Abuse And Neglect|publisher=Ministry of Social Development|access-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> and that New Zealand ranks fifth highest among [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]] nations for [[Child murder|child deaths]] due to maltreatment according to a 2003 [[UNICEF]] report.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://unicef-icdc.org/publications/pdf/repcard5e.pdf|title=A League Table of Child Maltreatment Deaths in Rich Nations|publisher=[[UNICEF]]|year=2003|isbn=88-85401-94-5|page=4|format=PDF|access-date=4 July 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060616042845/http://www.unicef-icdc.org/publications/pdf/repcard5e.pdf|archive-date=16 June 2006|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
== Media ==
The case was covered by ''[[Casefile True Crime Podcast]]'' on 23 April 2016.
==See also==
*[[List of unsolved murders]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
<!-- According to the NZ Herald they were the survivors of triplets -->
== External links ==
* [http://casefilepodcast.com/case-16-chris-and-cru-kahui/ Casefile True Crime Podcast - Case 16: Chris and Cru Kahui] - 23 April 2016
* [http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/458333/Macsyna-Kings-journey-from-office-work-to-public-enemy Macsyna King's journey from office work to public enemy]
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[[Category:2006 murders in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Child abuse resulting in death]]
[[Category:Child murder in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Murder in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Triplets]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Incidents of violence against boys]]
[[Category:Violence against children]]
[[Category:Crime in Auckland]]