Man charged following death of Kaikohe woman Linda Woods

Police are executing a search warrant at a house on Taraire Street in relation to the investigation into the homicide of Linda Woods. At least four officers are guarding the cordoned house and other officers can be seen rummaging through rubbish bins on the property.

Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia

Police have arrested and charged a man with manslaughter, burglary and aggravated assault in connection with the death of Linda Woods in Kaikohe last week.

Woods, 71, died Thursday night after being injured during a struggle when a person broke into her Taraire Street property.

The offender fled barefoot without his shorts following what police said earlier this week was probably a sexually motivated burglary.

Police executed a search warrant on the same Kaikohe street where the attack happened earlier on Tuesday, before announcing the arrest of a 52-year-old man.

He will appear in Kaikohe District Court on Wednesday.

Woods’ niece at the weekend told media she was on dialysis, and the intruder ripped out her breathing tubes.

Police on Monday said they had found DNA believed to be linked to the offender.

Cellphone footage of part of the incident showed the back of the alleged offender’s head. Police said he was aged between 40 and 60, “with short, grey-speckled, possibly curly hair, Māori or Polynesian and with a solid build”.

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