The New Zealand man convicted of murdering a British backpacker he met on a dating app has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.
Grace Millane was strangled to death on her 22nd birthday in December 2018. She had met the man through the dating app Tinder and went out for drinks with him before returning to his hotel apartment in central Auckland, where he killed her.
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The New Zealand man convicted of murdering a British backpacker he met on a dating app has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.
The name of the 28-year-old man is being kept secret for now by court order, a restriction that's sometimes imposed in the New Zealand judicial system for reasons such as another pending trial.
Judge Simon Moore ended up agreeing with prosecutors, saying the naked photos the man took of Millane after her death were correctly described as depraved and underscored his total lack of empathy toward her.
Grace Millane's death shocked many in New Zealand, which prides itself on welcoming tourists and where many people travel abroad themselves. Hundreds of people attended candlelight vigils after she died, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about New Zealanders feeling "hurt and shame" that she was killed in their country.
Michael Millane, brother of murdered British backpacker Grace, reads a victim impact statement via video link from England, at the sentencing of the man found guilty of her murder at the Auckland High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Dean PurcelNew Zealand Herald via AP)
FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, file photo, parents of murdered British backpacker Grace Millane, Dave and Gillian speak to the media outside the High Court, in Auckland, New Zealand. At the Auckland High Court on Friday Feb. 21, 2020, the killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Jason OxenhamNew Zealand Herald via AP, File)
Victoria Millane, sister-in-law of murdered British backpacker Grace, reads a victim impact statement via video link during the sentencing hearing of the man found guilty of Millane's murder, at the Auckland High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Dean PurcelNew Zealand Herald via AP)
He stuffed her body into a suitcase, drove to a forest and buried it in a shallow grave, where police found it a week later.
Gillian Millane, mother of murdered British backpacker Grace, reads a victim impact statement via video link from England, at the sentencing of the man found guilty of her murder at the Auckland High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Dean PurcelNew Zealand Herald via AP)
The name of the 28-year-old man is being kept secret for now by court order, a restriction that's sometimes imposed in the New Zealand judicial system for reasons such as another pending trial.
Defense lawyers had claimed the death was accidental after the pair engaged in consensual erotic choking that went too far. A jury in November rejected that argument and found the man guilty.
Murder typically comes with a life sentence in New Zealand, so at stake at Friday's sentencing at the Auckland High Court was the number of years the killer would serve in jail before becoming eligible for parole. Prosecutors had argued for 17 years while defense lawyers said 12 was reasonable.
FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2018, file photo, people lay flowers and light candles during a candlelight vigil for the murdered British tourist Grace Millane at Cathedral Square in Christchurch, New Zealand. At a sentencing hearing at the Auckland High Court on Friday Feb. 21, 2020, the killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (AP PhotoMark Baker, File)
Judge Simon Moore ended up agreeing with prosecutors, saying the naked photos the man took of Millane after her death were correctly described as depraved and underscored his total lack of empathy toward her.
Earlier, the victim's mother Gillian Millane told the court via video link that the killer had ripped a hole in her heart by stealing her daughter's life.
“She died terrified and alone in a room with you," Gillian Millane said, according to the New Zealand Herald. The man in the dock kept his head bowed, rubbed his face and had his eyes closed, the newspaper reported.
FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2018, file photo, a woman lights candles during a candlelight vigil for murdered British tourist Grace Millane at Cathedral Square in Christchurch, New Zealand. At a sentencing hearing at the Auckland High Court on Friday Feb. 21, 2020, the killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (AP PhotoMark Baker, File)
Grace Millane's death shocked many in New Zealand, which prides itself on welcoming tourists and where many people travel abroad themselves. Hundreds of people attended candlelight vigils after she died, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about New Zealanders feeling "hurt and shame" that she was killed in their country.
Tourism is one of New Zealand’s largest industries, accounting for more than 20% of foreign exchange earnings and about 6% of the overall economy.
The case has been closely followed in Britain as well.
Honorable Justice Simon Moore presides over the sentencing of the man found guilty of the murder of British backpacker Grace MIllane at the Auckland High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Dean PurcelNew Zealand Herald via AP)
Michael Millane, brother of murdered British backpacker Grace, reads a victim impact statement via video link from England, at the sentencing of the man found guilty of her murder at the Auckland High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Dean PurcelNew Zealand Herald via AP)
FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, file photo, parents of murdered British backpacker Grace Millane, Dave and Gillian speak to the media outside the High Court, in Auckland, New Zealand. At the Auckland High Court on Friday Feb. 21, 2020, the killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Jason OxenhamNew Zealand Herald via AP, File)
Victoria Millane, sister-in-law of murdered British backpacker Grace, reads a victim impact statement via video link during the sentencing hearing of the man found guilty of Millane's murder, at the Auckland High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The killer, who has name suppression, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. (Dean PurcelNew Zealand Herald via AP)