Paul Beveridge Maroroa found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter, over shooting death of Robert Sabeckis at Maslin Beach in 2000
A jury has found Paul Maroroa guilty of the manslaughter, but not murder, of Robert Sabeckis in a carpark in 2000 – now it can be revealed he said he’d wished he’d confessed “a long time ago”.
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A killer who escaped justice for nearly 20 years told his sister he “should have done the right thing a long time ago” and confessed to his crime rather than go to trial, it can now be revealed.
During pre-trial legal argument, the Supreme Court heard an audio recording of a phone call Paul Beveridge Maroroa made, after his arrest, from Port Augusta Prison.
In the call, the New Zealander – who was on Friday convicted of the manslaughter of Robert Sabeckis – told his sister he regretted having pleaded not guilty two days earlier.
“I should have done the right thing a long time ago,” he said.
“A good lawyer would have told me to plead guilty and get a (sentencing) discount … it’s all too late.
“I keep making these mistakes and realising them afterwards … I just wish I could get something right, you know? “I’ve got to start thinking for myself.”
On Friday, a jury of five men and seven women took five hours to find Paul Beveridge Maroroa not guilty of murdering Mr Sabeckis.
They instead found him guilty of the lesser, alternate charge of manslaughter.
By its verdict, the jury did not reject Maroroa’s claims he and Mr Sabeckis had engaged in a life-and-death struggle over a stolen shotgun at Maslin Beach on January 13, 2000.
The verdict brings to an end 19 years of mystery over the long-unsolved case, which was not cracked until a 2019 cold-hit DNA match linked Maroroa to the crime.
He had been charged with an unrelated matter in his native New Zealand, and a routine DNA sample taken upon his arrest matched evidence taken in Mr Sabeckis’ death.
Prior to that match, SA Police had said they had “no suspects” in the murder.
RELIVE THE TRIAL:
The prosecution: Victim was ‘hunted down’, ‘gunned down’ and ‘humiliated’
The scene: Gunman returns to site of shooting almost 20 years later
The defence: Killer says he was in life-and-death struggle for stolen shotgun
The response: ‘Are you trying to tell us your victim stepped out of his own underpants?’
Maroroa, 44, of Auckland in New Zealand, had admitted shooting but denied murdering Mr Sabeckis with a sawn-off shotgun.
Prosecutors alleged he “hunted down” and “gunned down” his victim, then further “humiliated” him by striking him with the weapon and pulling down his underpants.
Maroroa, however, said he was delivering the gun to Mr Sabeckis on the orders of drug dealers, only to be attacked himself.
He claimed he fired the shotgun in self-defence because Mr Sabeckis intended to rape and then murder him – a version of events rejected by prosecutors.
Pre-trial argument also centred on Maroroa’s movements after the killing.
The court was told Mr Sabeckis died on January 13 and that, by January 21, police had gathered much of the evidence in the case.
On January 28, Maroroa visited the Christies Beach Police Station and reported his bag – containing his passport – had been “stolen in Alice Springs”.
That, prosecutors asserted, was a lie designed to create a false alibi around his possessions.
They said it also allowed him to leave Australia on April 29 and never return – not even for his mother’s funeral – until his arrest and the DNA match.
On Friday, Justice Sam Doyle remanded Maroroa in custody for sentencing submissions in February.
Under state law, the maximum penalty for manslaughter is life imprisonment – however, unlike murder, there is no minimum penalty.
Outside court, Mr Sabeckis’ niece Vilija said her family was pleased Maroroa had been “brought to account”.
“The reason behind why my uncle was killed may never be known,” she said.
“This verdict has brought justice in this matter and offers some comfort to our family, his friends and the Lithuanian community as well.”
She thanked SA Police for continuing to investigate the case throughout the decades.
“Robert is still a very much loved and missed member of our family,” she said.
“I hope that he can now rest in peace.”