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Offender Databases Colin Warren

Colin Richard Warren

Alias

.

Offences

Murdered Northland man Norman Lama in November 1999

Victims

Norman Lama

Offender Affiliations

.

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1964

Current Location

Prison

Parole/Release Dates

Given a "life" sentence in August 2000
Becomes eligible for parole December 2009
First parole hearing November 2009

Background
Court of Appeal decision here
From the Dominion 23/08/2000
A KAIPARA man who fired a pump-action shotgun four times into a man before dumping his body off a bridge near Ruawai has been found guilty of murder. Colin Richard Warren, 35, sickness beneficiary, had pleaded self- defence and provocation in the killing of Norman Lama, 32, at a remote house on November 25. A jury of eight women and four men took 6 1/2 hours to reach its verdict in the High Court at Whangarei. Defence lawyers claimed Warren had fired the shots in self- defence after Mr Lama attacked him with a knife during a row about money. But Crown prosecutors said it was murder. Evidence showed the second shot rendered Mr Lama unconscious and removed any danger to Warren and the next two shots, in his cheek and between the eyes, were fired at close range.

In evidence, Warren said he was "freaking for his life" when he fired the first two shots and was unaware till later that he had fired the final two. Warren , weakened by muscular dystrophy, towed Mr Lama's 150- kilogram body out of the house, rolled it into the boot of his car and drove 18 kilometres to a bridge, where he dumped the body into a tidal stream. He reported the killing to police six days later, sparking a search for Mr Lama's body and the shotgun. Mr Lama's mother, Teresa, said the verdict was what her family had hoped for. She would remember her son as a good father to his six children, and a good son to her.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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