Tēvita Mafi Filo cleared of murder by reason of insanity

Auckland: The Tongan man who killed mother of two at the suburb of Remuera is now a free man after being cleared of murder on the grounds of insanity.

Tevita Mafi Filo, 25, was suffering from a “complex delusional system” when he attacked jogger Joanne Pert on January 7.

Local residents found the body of the 41-year-old on their lawn about 11am.

A suppression order has prevented publication of  how Pert died.

Filo will be detained indefinitely as a special patient at the Mason Clinic, a secure psychiatric unit.

He has schizophrenia and also suffers from end stage renal failure and completes dialysis three times a week.

The court heard on Thurday  Filo didn’t believe he had killed “a real live person”.

He believed he lived in an “alternate world” governed by a controller.

“He didn’t believe the individual was dead.”

READ MORE:

Tevita Filo stopped by police night before killing Remuera mother-of-two Jo Pert

Joanne Pert’s killer Tevita Filo not guilty by reason of insanity

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