Overview

• The High Court jury found Lologa guilty on five counts of murder and one of arson after less than three days of deliberations, proceeding with 10 jurors due to illness.
• Name suppression was lifted at conviction, and the five men who died were identified as Michael Wahrlich, Melvin Parun, Peter O'Sullivan, Kenneth Barnard and Liam Hockings.
• Prosecutors accepted Lologa has schizophrenia but argued he set the fires to leave the lodge, while five Crown experts testified he knew it was morally wrong; the defense called one psychiatrist who disagreed.
• Sentencing is set for 21 November, with murder carrying a mandatory life term in New Zealand and a judge to set the minimum non‑parole period.
• Four people tied to the lodge’s management face separate manslaughter charges that they deny, as reviews highlight a lack of sprinklers and reliable smoke detection in older boarding houses with no legal changes yet.