Paul Beveridge Maroroa returns to Maslin Beach site where he shot Robert Sabeckis in 2000
An alleged murderer has returned to the scene of a killing, almost 20 years after it occurred, shielded from view by prison guards and a vehicle to try to avoid cameras.
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Almost 20 years have passed since Paul Beveridge Maroroa last stood in the Gull Rock carpark – the place where he shot Robert Sabeckis with a sawn-off shotgun.
On Tuesday, the New Zealander returned to the scene of an incident that prosecutors allege was murder, but Maroroa insists was something else.
Held in the back of a prison van and shadowed by K9 officers, Maroroa sipped from a bottle of water before stepping out of the vehicle.
Accompanied by his lawyers, he walked past a procession of media and cameras and made his way towards the carpark, overlooking Maslin Beach, for the next phase of his trial.
Maroroa, 44, of Auckland in New Zealand, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Sabeckis at Maslin Beach, south of Adelaide, on January 13, 2000.
Prosecutors allege he “hunted” and “gunned down” Mr Sabeckis, then “humiliated” him by pulling down his underpants before driving away in his car.
They allege Maroroa can be linked to the crime by DNA found on the shotgun – which was broken into three pieces – and clothing that he discarded after the shooting.
Maroroa does not deny shooting Mr Sabeckis, nor does he dispute the DNA evidence.
However, his counsel has urged the jury to keep an open mind, saying questions of self-defence and possible defects in the shotgun will arise during the trial.
The Gull Rock carpark was one of eight locations shown to Supreme Court jurors during their view of scenes allegedly connected to the case.
Others include the spots where, prosecutors allege, Maroroa disposed of the gun and his bloody clothes, and where he crashed Mr Sabeckis’ car after the shooting.
SA Police established roadblocks and diverted traffic to keep the public away from each of the areas as the jury, which travelled by minibus, viewed them.
Maroroa stood to one side, hands clasped but not cuffed, as his lawyers and prosecutors explained the significance of each location to the jury.
When the view of Gull Rock – the central alleged crime scene – had concluded, however, Maroroa did not walk back to his vehicle.
Unlike Justice Sam Doyle, prosecutors, his counsel and jurors, the vehicle was driven to meet Maroroa – and a second vehicle used to block him from the media’s view.
The trial resumes in court on Wednesday.