A man has been arrested and charged with murdering scientist Stephen Thorpe at an Auckland tennis club.
Thorpe, of Mt Roskill, succumbed to injuries that were consistent with stab wounds on Saturday morning at the Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club.
Cordons were put in place as police worked to piece together why the 54-year-old lost his life in tragic circumstances.
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Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said the police investigation “progressed rapidly” on Wednesday afternoon when a 26-year-old man was taken into custody near the homicide scene.
“We have since charged this man with Stephen’s murder.”
A search warrant took place overnight at a nearby address on Exminster St as part of the investigation.
“This is a positive development in the investigation, but our work here is not done,” Baldwin said.
Previously, Baldwin said Thorpe came to the Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club as normal.
“The victim went outside, and a very short time later, cries for help were heard.”
The [club] staff member witnessed the victim in a violent struggle and went to get a phone to call for help, police said at the time.
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Jacqui Knight, from the Blockhouse Bay Recreation Reserve Butterfly Habitat, said she had known Thorpe for at least 10 years.
He had been doing great work for iNaturalist, an online social network and crowdsource system to identify animal and plant species, she said.
“I know there will be questions about why this happened to Stephen, and our team have the important task now of piecing together all the information so the judicial process can be carried out,” Baldwin said.
Police aren’t seeking anyone else in connection with the homicide investigation and will continue to collect and analyse CCTV video and speak with witnesses.
The 26-year-old man will appear at Auckland District Court on Thursday.
This article has been reproduced with permission from Stuff.co.nz.
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