Bernice Moneychurch died in October last year. Photo: Facebook
By Finn Blackwell of RNZ
The man charged with murdering a woman on an Auckland bus has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Bernice Louise Marychurch was killed on the No 74 bus travelling through the suburb of Onehunga in October last year.
The man charged with her murder, Kael Leona, handed himself in to authorities shortly after.
In the High Court at Auckland this morning, Leona's lawyer entered a not guilty plea by reason of insanity on his behalf.
Leona was not in court and was remanded in custody until his trial in March next year.
The killing sparked a significant response from transport officials, with Auckland Transport deploying extra transport officers for the route the bus was taking at the time.
