Three men were arrested in connection with the death of a man in his 80s and the criminal fire of his home on the bass in the lower year.
A homicide investigation was launched in November after one of the three Arsons in the Hanson Grove Block of Flats in Stokes Valley.
Ian David Moller, 82, was seriously injured and died four days later.
It was the third attack on Hanson Grove within a month. The first took place on November 5, another on November 10 and the third on November 14, during the early hours of the morning.
Accusations against a person related to the first fire were withdrawn last month.
Detective Haley Ryan inspector this morning said police had conducted several search warrants in the Hutt Valley, aiming at the three men aged 20 and 30.
Now the three men have been accused of participating in a criminal group, a criminal fire and conspiracy to commit a criminal fire, while two are also facing accusations of murder.
The men were exhibited at the Hutt Valley District Court this afternoon.
Four others were arrested during the course of search warrants on unbleed matters.
Ryan said this was a “long, prolonged inquiry, which culminated in today’s prisons through the dedicated work of a team of detectives in the Hutt Valley and the larger Wellington district.”
Moller’s niece, Denise Harrison, told RNZ an earlier that it was hard to find peace and move on while the responsible person was still out there.
“If my uncle died at 82 years of illness or just old age, I could have reconciled that much easier. But that occurred to me when I was talking about her funeral that the circumstances of it were simply not right.”
Ryan said he spoke to his family.
“I talked to the Moller family that was relieved to hear the news, in what is a step further when reaching an agreement with what happened,” Ryan said.
She said police were confident that there are more witnesses who can now feel comfortable moving forward and talking to them.
People can report information about 105 on -line or by telephone, referring to file number 241105/2249 or citing Operation SOVE.
