A 27 year old Nelson man will face an additional charge of murder following an attack at Franklyn Village in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Two men – aged 17 and 27 – were initially arrested and charged with assault with intent in injure after the attack on Bruce Andrew Mortimer, who later died as a result of injuries received in the incident.
Franklyn Village owner Liz Harris told the New Zealand Herald over the weekend that accommodation staff and residents were devastated after Mr Mortimer’s death.
“This is a dreadful thing to happen for our community.”
She says Mr Mortimer had been living at the accommodation building for quite some time and it was unknown where he was originally from.
“It’s quite a large complex. We have about 180 or so people living here,” she said. “We do have some people that come temporarily but others stay here for years and years – and they consider it their homes.”
She says the large complex has around 60 security cameras and everybody knows to keep a good eye on the place.
The man will appear in the Nelson District Court on Thursday.
