Michael Scott Rodger.
Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon
A man has been found guilty of murdering Canterbury father of three Richard Leman, whose dismembered body was found in the boot of his own car.
Michael Scott Rodger, 46, murdered Richard Leman, 41, in April 2023.
Leman’s torso was found in the car boot at an abandoned house in Tyler Street in Rangiora about a week after he disappeared.
His head, legs and arms are still missing.
The Christchurch High Court jury reached a unanimous guilty verdict on Thursday following a four-week trial and two days of deliberations.
The Crown argued Rodger shot Leman twice – once in the thigh and once in the chest – at a property in Andrew Street in Rangiora.
Rodger denied shooting or killing Leman.
On the trial’s opening day prosecutor Sean Mallett said Leman smoked methamphetamine with friend Sara Plimmer before the pair went to Morgan Grant’s home to bring her food.
Leman went to look for a way to smoke more methamphetamine while the two women sat in a bedroom and ate, Mallett said.
He said Michael Rodger had also been invited to the address by Grant.
“The two women will tell you that as they were sitting on the bed eating the Burger King they heard arguing coming from an adjoining lounge and went to investigate,” Mallett said.
“They found Mr Leman and Mr Rodger in the lounge facing each other, while Mr Rodger had a gun in his hand.”
No-one gave Leman first-aid or called emergency services and Leman died within minutes of being shot, the Crown said.
Rodger’s DNA was on the cap of a petrol container found at the home where Leman’s torso was found as well as on the inside of a door handle of Leman’s car.
Plimmer’s parents gave evidence that their daughter had identified Rodger as the shooter.
Richard Leman.
Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
Both women told the jury Rodger had threatened to kill them, took Leman’s drugs and cash and dragged his body to another room.
The Crown said CCTV, telecommunication and forensic evidence pointed to Rodger’s guilt regardless of Grant and Plimmer’s reliability.
Grant pleaded guilty to being an accessory to Leman’s murder in 2024.
Rodger told the jury Leman was already dead when he arrived at Grant’s property but he admitted concealing and dismembering Leman’s body.
Defence lawyer Ethan Huda said there were legitimate questions about whether Rodger was involved in Leman’s death.
He said Rodger refused to identify who he claimed was the killer, referred to as “Mr X” during the trial, because he was previously the victim of a sustained beating in prison and had good reason not to disclose all he knew.
The Crown omitted evidence from pathologist Dr Leslie Anderson, who found Leman could have been stabbed before being shot, in its closing argument, Huda said.
Huda said the fact neither Grant or Plimmer mentioned a stabbing during their evidence sparked significant doubts over the killing.
The defence also questioned the reliability of some CCTV evidence.
A text message exchange between Grant and another person in the days after Leman’s murder had referenced the involvement of multiple “fugitives” in the killing.
Justice Eaton thanked jurors after the verdict was delivered.
A sentencing date was yet to be finalised.
‘No family should ever have to endure that’
Police issued a statement on behalf of Leman’s family, who said the guilty verdict brought justice for the father-of-three.
“Nothing will ever undo what was done to him, and nothing will ever bring him back to the people who loved him. Richard was not just a name in a courtroom or a case in a trial.
“He was a son, a father, a brother, an uncle, and a man who was deeply loved by those closest to him.”
The family said they have had to sit through the most confronting and painful evidence imaginable.
“We have been forced to hear and see the devastating reality of how Richard’s life was taken. No family should ever have to endure that.
“Today, the jury has recognised the truth of what happened. Someone has been held accountable for Richard’s death.”
Thursday’s verdict did not heal the family’s grief but it acknowledged that Leman’s life mattered and that his murder could not be ignored, the statement said.
The family went on to thank police, the Crown, Justice Eaton and Victim Support.
“Today we remember Richard not only as a victim in this case, but as the son, father, brother and uncle he was to those who loved him.
“He mattered. His life mattered. And today, justice has recognised that.”
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