The body of Aneli Helu Katea, 36, was discovered by police at a Great King St address on Friday afternoon, prompting an extensive investigation and scene examination.
Yesterday, the 25-year-old accused of his murder appeared in the Dunedin District Court where Judge Hermann Retzlaff granted him interim name suppression while mental-health assessments were undertaken.
The defendant and victim were thought to be known to one another, police confirmed.
A former flatmate of Mr Katea, who had known him for the past three years, was shocked to hear of his death.
It was particularly sad, she said, given the fact he had one child in Southland and others up north.
"He was a really lovely guy ... He was real helpful with the children," she said.
"He would take my kids on his trainings that he would do, running up and down the hill."
The woman said Mr Katea always paid his rent on time and described him as "a clean freak".
"We’d all be at work and would come home and the house was spotless. He’s got his music blasting," she said.
The ex-flatmate told the Otago Daily Times Mr Katea liked a drink, but was "still a nice, calm guy" when using alcohol.
He moved out of that home after a spat, but she still considered him a mate.
The woman heard he had moved into a boarding house in Russell St before she lost track of his movements.
Southern district crime manager Detective Inspector Shona Low said a forensic postmortem would be performed on the victim.
While court documents alleged the incident involved a "stabbing/cutting" implement, she refused to specify what type of weapon had been used.
Police declined to say whether Mr Katea’s body was found inside or outside the premises.
The ODT understands police asked a neighbouring motel for security-camera footage, which shows the premises.
Det Insp Low said they had had "good responses from the public" and urged anyone with information to come foward.
The defendant entered no plea during yesterday’s court hearing and counsel Anne Stevens, KC, did not apply for bail.
He would remain in custody until his next appearance, before the High Court in two weeks.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz . Court reporter
