Slain New Zealand mum Tara Brown's car used in killing

 

New Zealand-born Tara brown was living on the Gold Coast. Ms Brown was allegedly run off the road in her car and then was bashed to death by her estranged partner. Photo / Supplied

• Car of murdered Kiwi mum Tara Brown used in earlier killing.
• Details emerge of how her ex Lionel Patea allegedly murdered another man.
• Patea's co-accused and cousin the son of long-serving Kiwi detective.
Slain Kiwi mother Tara Brown's car was used in the murder of another Gold Coast man two months before her violent death.
Ms Brown was allegedly run off the road in her car and then, as she lay trapped, was bashed to death by her estranged partner Lionel Patea, 24, on the Gold Coast on September 8.
Patea was charged with murdering the 24-year-old, who he has a young daughter with, and weeks later while in custody he was charged with the killing of Greg Dufty.
Mr Dufty, 37, was allegedly murdered over a drug debt in July.

The Courier Mail has reported that Patea borrowed Ms Brown's car on July 6 to drive to meet his cousin Aaron Crawford and the pair allegedly murdered Mr Dufty.
The newspaper revealed that police interviewed Crawford within days of Mr Dufty being reported missing on July 10.
He and Patea were charged with the murder on November 2. By that time Patea was already in jail charged with murdering Ms Brown.
Crawford was in New Zealand and was extradited two days later.
According to the court documents obtained by The Courier Mail a witness said Crawford, Patea, co-accused Liam Bliss and two other men bashed Mr Dufty to death.
After his arrest Bliss allegedly told police that Patea offered to pay him $200 to assist.
"Bliss stated that he drove a dark Mazda2 hatchback which belonged to the partner of L. Patea," the document stated.
"At the time of leaving the vehicle L. Patea said: 'Might have to smoke this c***, so just watch over me'."
Police allege Mr Dufty was helping Crawford carry up to $70,000 worth of cannabis each fortnight between New South Wales and Darwin.
However Mr Dufty stole drugs to pay off another debt, angering his partner.

ACCUSED SON OF KIWI COP

The Courier Mail has reported that Crawford's father is Detective Russell Crawford, who has been with the New Zealand police for 22 years.
Mr Crawford is currently based in the Waikato area.
Crawford is also the cousin of Auckland-born singer Ricki-Lee Coulter's mother, Loretta Sheerin.
He was in New Zealand when the murder charge was laid and was arrested and charged in Auckland.
An extradition order was granted and he was taken back to Australia to appear in court in Brisbane on charges of murder and interfering with a corpse.
Crawford first made headlines back in 2008 when he appeared online in x-rated photos.
He is a cousin of Coulter and had attended a red carpet event with Coulter two years earlier.
When the pornographic photos were published he was wrongly identified in a photo as Coulter's husband.