Release for Paekākāariki Body-on-the-hill murder accessory

Kelly Crook, sentenced for her role in what was known as the Paekākāariki Body-on-the-hill murder of Matthew Stevens will be released from prison in January.

Mr Stevens 32, was murdered in November 2014 after Kelly Crook lured him to a flat in the Hutt Valley.

Crook was jailed last year for her part in Mr Steven’s murder, after pleading guilty to charges of causing grievous bodily harm and being an accessory after the fact.

He was lured to a Lower Hutt flat in late November 2014 by Kelly Crook, who was in a relationship with another co-offender, Darrin Wilkie-Morris.

On arriving, two men attacked Mr Stevens, and Stuart Wilton fatally stabbed him.

The group dumped his body and van off the side of the road on Paekākāariki Hill.

The Parole Board has decided to release Crook from prison into a community-based facility next month so she can acclimatise before her sentence ends.