Three Dunedin men have been charged with murder over the death of a 23-year-old man whose brutally beaten body was found on a beach at Warrington, north of Dunedin, on Friday morning.
The three, aged 17, 25 and 47, were arrested late yesterday in raids led by armed police and have been jointly charged with the murder of James Mathew Ellis, aged 23, most recently of Oamaru.
The trio will appear in the Dunedin District Court tomorrow and police have opposed bail for two of the three men.
Mr Ellis, who had suffered 'gruesome' injuries, was found dead by two people out walking at the Blueskin Bay Estuary. Police believ he was killed at Warrington, on or about Friday, April 15.
Police said yesterday he had died from head injuries and they had found a weapon but in a statement today said they remained open-minded about Mr Ellis' injuries.
Police are today examining three residential addresses - two in Dunedin and one in Oamaru - and forensically examining two vehicles of interest, one of which is the white Mazda 626 Saloon.
Armed police swooped on a Dunedin house where two of the three men were found late yesterday.
Police are talking to further people in relation to the incident but say that the inquiry progressed quickly.
"We are still trying to locate witnesses who attended a gathering at an Oamaru address overnight on Thursday and early Friday morning. Both Mr Ellis and the three men facing charges appear to have been at the address," Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis said.
"The result in bringing charges is a testament to the excellent collaboration and cooperation between police staff in Gore, Oamaru, Dunedin and Christchurch, as well as urgency around speaking to potential witnesses," Detective Snr Sgt Croudis said.
