Police opened a homicide investigation and began searching for Kapene, saying he was armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Kapene was arrested and charged with murder on Christmas Eve after police executed several search warrants in Wairarapa – although they did not at the time name the man arrested.

Kapene appeared at the Wellington District Court from prison via an audio-visual link on Friday.

The charges of murder and possession of a firearm were transferred to the High Court at Wellington, where he will appear in January.

Kapene told the court he wanted name suppression, but no application was entered, given his name had widely been reported in relation to the case.

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