LEAD STORY: King walks free after murder case dropped | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

 A "relieved" Zion King emerged from a courtroom a free man yesterday after he was cleared of murdering a Napier grandmother in her Onekawa flat more than two years ago.

Mr King, 49, was charged with murdering Chattrice Maihi-Carroll, 46, in March, 2008 after a two-month police investigation after she was found naked and with stab wounds on the morning of January 21.

Yesterday in the High Court in Napier, Justice Denis Clifford granted a defence application led by co-counsel Peter Williams, QC, to dismiss the charge after Crown prosecutor Russell Collins conceded the case against King was not strong enough.

Mr Collins said it was "unsafe" for the Crown to offer its evidence as a reliable basis for a jury to reach a verdict.

Mr King, speaking outside of the courtroom, said: "I am relieved all right, very much relieved."

Mr King, who spent 16 months in custody before he was released on bail, said he should never have been charged.

"I never should have been charged, full stop," he said. "I am not the person responsible."

He said he would now head back to Horotiu, near Hamilton, where he had been living for the past six months, to "rebuild my life".

Mr Williams told the court there was no forensic evidence offered against Mr King, he had no relationship with the victim, and had always vehemently denied the charges.

The basis for the Crown case was evidence of former employees at Hatuma Foods that Mr King had told them about the death of his neighbour early on Monday morning before her body was discovered.

Mr Williams offered evidence to the court to contradict the assertion, including that Mr King only learnt of his neighbour's murder in the afternoon.

His daughter phoned her mother asking for a lift home because Mr King had to return to his flat as he had just heard from a detective about his neighbour's death.

Other Crown witnesses had said Mr King left work during the day but there was evidence from a tradesman, fixing a freezer door at Hatuma, that Mr King was at work.

Mr Williams said he was convinced of Mr King's innocence soon after his first meeting with him.

"After a brief meeting I was persuaded of his innocence and having got to know him over the last 18 months I realised he is a highly intelligent man," Mr Williams said.

"He has suffered grievously as a result of these charges."

Mr Williams thanked his co-counsel, Heeni Phillips and Russell Fairbrother.

The case had revealed "how essential it is for defence to investigate independently".

Justice Clifford told family of Ms Maihi-Carroll sitting in the courtroom that he understood they would be "frustrated and disappointed" but granting the application was in the interests of fairness and justice.

But the decision has left the family dismayed and distraught.

"We've waited a long time to see justice done for our sister and what have we got," the victim's sister, Papara Carroll, told One News.

"Someone did do that to my daughter and we'd like it left open to try and find some clues to try and solve this," Ms Maihi-Carroll's mother, Rebecca Carroll, said.

The family wished someone would eventually be brought to justice for the murder.