Overview

• The court lifted prior name suppression at the verdict, identifying the 50-year-old as Esarona David Lologa.
• Prosecutors called five psychiatric experts who said he understood his actions were wrong, countered by one defence psychiatrist who testified he was in a psychotic relapse.
• Evidence showed he set two fires inside the 92-bed boarding house and left without raising the alarm.
• The five residents who died were Michael Wahrlich, Melvin Parun, Peter O’Sullivan, Kenneth Barnard and Liam Hockings.
• Sentencing is set for 21 November, with murder carrying a mandatory life sentence in New Zealand and arson punishable by up to 14 years.