The former partner of Kim Richmond has been found guilty of her murder.
Cory Scott Jefferies was convicted of Ms Richmond's murder by a jury at the High Court at Hamilton.
Cory Jefferies was today convicted of Kim Richmond’s murder. Sam Kelway looks back on the trial.
It took the jury about half an hour to reach a decision this morning following six hours of deliberations on Friday.
Ms Richmond disappeared on July 31, 2016, after watching rugby and drinking with friends at the Arohena Hall in south Waikato.
Her badly decomposed body was found nearly a year later in Lake Arapuni in the back seat of her Ford Ranger.
Ms Richmond's family left her favourite flowers at the site on the day her former partner was convicted of her murder.
Ms Richmond was found in the fetal position, her chest exposed with her shirt around her neck and a plastic bag near her head.
Jefferies is on trial at the High Court in Hamilton over his partner’s death two years ago.
The court was told an attack took place after 3:38am and cell phone data tracked Mr Jefferies traveling to the boat ramp at Lake Arapuni.
He then travelled home at walking pace.
Mr Jefferies had admitted causing Ms Richmond's death, but say it was unintentional.
A pathologist was unable to determine a cause of death because of how long Ms Richmond had been in the lake.
He will be sentenced on September 7.
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