A former prison guard who murdered his childhood friend will have his appeal against conviction and sentence heard later this year.
David Benbow was sentenced in 2024 to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years after a jury found him guilty of murdering Michael McGrath in the Christchurch suburb of Halswell in 2017.
McGrath was last seen alive in May of that year. Two years later, Benbow was charged with fatally shooting him.
Neither the gun, nor McGrath's body, have been found despite extensive searches.
After his first trial, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. At his second trial, he was found guilty of murder.
The Court of Appeal confirmed to RNZ that a hearing date for Benbow's appeal on conviction and sentence had been set for November 9 and 10.
At sentencing, Justice Jonathan Eaton described the murder as an execution style killing.
He said the high level of planning, including the fact that McGrath's body has never been found, added to the length of the sentence.
During the Christchurch High Court trial, the prosecution said that Benbow killed McGrath after learning that he was in a relationship with Benbow's ex-partner of 17 years, Joanne Green.
McGrath's mother, Adrienne McGrath, said she could not believe her son would never come home again.
In her victim impact statement, she said she still laid in bed some nights and hoped her son would come knocking at her window.
"I'll never forget that first night when I realised that Michael was missing. That memory will haunt me forever.
"I still experience the pain of losing him every day, especially when I see or hear things that remind me of him."
McGrath's brother Simon, speaking after the guilty verdict, said the family still wanted to know where his brother's body was.
He hoped the government would consider legislative changes to stop killers who do not co-operate with police being eligible for parole.
"I believe New Zealand needs to strengthen the law to follow ... what's in many Australian states - no body, no parole."
