A verdict has been reached in the trial of Zach Mavin for the fatal stabbing of Robert “Bobby” Palmer in Shortland two and a half years ago. Mr. Mavin was accused of murder and attempted armed robbery after he allegedly held up a service station on Sandgate Road before stabbing Palmer to death on December 12, 2020, around 8 pm.
Justice Stephen Campbell found the act to be proven, but Mavin was not held criminally responsible because he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the murder and was not aware that his actions were morally wrong.
As a result of the verdict, Mavin will be detained as a forensic patient until the Mental Health Review Tribunal is convinced that his release will not pose a risk to himself or others.