Warning: Some details may be upsetting
A South Canterbury man was lured to a reserve and shot out of a tree before being hit with a blunt object, a murder trial has heard.
It is alleged Anaru Moana was murdered as part of a vengeful attack near Waimate on the morning of 20 December 2021, before his body was dumped.
His body has never been found.
Hayden Burt, Aaron Boden and siblings Cody and Korina Boyes are all on trial at the High Court at Christchurch for the murder.
Burt and Boden also face additional charges of kidnapping and injuring with intent.
All four of the accused have pleaded not guilty to the murder.
A fifth connected person, Joseph Cropley, was also charged with kidnapping and injuring with intent, but had pleaded not guilty.
Moana was first reported missing on 23 December 2021, sparking extensive inquiries in an effort to locate him.
Prosecutor Shawn McManus said Moana was "ambushed" after he was taken to Kelceys Bush.
The attack was thought to be retribution after Moana and an associate stole a large quantity of methamphetamine and cash worth about $60,000 from a car in Oamaru three months previously.
"Mr Burt's plan was to lure Mr Moana to a secluded area, seriously assault him and make a statement to not just Mr Moana, but anyone else who was thinking of doing the same," McManus said.
"The Crown says that all of the defendants acted with murderous intent and that they are guilty of the murder of Mr Moana."
The court heard how Moana's associate was left "battered, bruised and bleeding" after a group of men, including Boden and Cropley, violently attacked him over the theft, dragging him into a car before dropping him in a gravel pit outside of Oamaru.
The prosecution then shifted its focus to Moana who had managed to evade Burt and Boden for more than two months.
Moana returned to Waimate in November 2021 to care for his mother who was dying of pancreatic cancer, the court heard.
His mother would pass away on the morning of 20 December, a few hours before the Crown said Moana was murdered.
McManus argued that word of Moana's whereabouts became known to his alleged killers after he sent a message to Korina Boyes, asking for methamphetamine.
"Ms Boyes at that point knew that Mr Moana had ripped off Mr Burt and that they were now in an awkward position," she said.
She later said Burt, Boden, Boyes and another associate developed a plan to lure Moana to Kelceys Bush to give him a "severe beating and to teach him a lesson" over the theft.
"The plan involved Ms Boyes driving Mr Moana to the reserve on the pretence of walking her dog and having a sesh."
Boyes drove Moana to Kelceys Bush, where Burt and Boden appeared on the scene moments later, McManus said.
"Mr Moana fled for his life and ran up a tree within the reserve. Mr Burt and Mr Boden were unable to get Mr Moana from out of the tree."
The court heard Boyes drove back to Waimate before returning to Kelceys Bush with her brother Cody, who was armed.
Two shots were fired at Moana who was still in the tree, causing him to fall down.
"While on the ground, an assault then continued before Mr Boden came holding a weapon, likely a spade or a branch of some sort, and hit Mr Moana across the head. That blow was the final blow in a series of assaults against Mr Moana," McManus said.
"Mr Moana was never seen again and his body has never been recovered."
The prosecution resumes its opening on Wednesday.
The trial was set down for eight weeks.
