Two people were arrested by the Operation Aberfeldy investigation team in late April<\/a>; however, police have maintained that others were in the car on the night Whorrall was fatally attacked. <\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a> Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said a 16-year-old male remains before the High Court at Auckland, charged with Whorrall\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n A 33-year-old woman is before the Auckland District Court on two charges of being an accessory after the fact to murder.<\/p>\n Baldwin emphasised today that the investigation into Whorrall\u2019s alleged murder \u201cis not over\u201d and made a fresh appeal to the public for help.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people in the community who have intimate knowledge of this crime,\u201d he said<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been recent developments in the case. Police are determined to hold the killers to account. The police need assistance from members of the community. Now is the time to come forward\u2026 This is the opportunity to do the right thing.”<\/p>\n Baldwin would not say today what led a specialist search team and a police dog team to Maybury Reserve, but \u201cit wasn\u2019t by mistake\u201d.<\/p>\n He said police were not certain if the machete was the murder weapon, but police were keeping an open mind.<\/p>\n It was a rusty machete which \u201chad been in the weather for some time\u201d.<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a> Maybury Reserve was about 5km from the bus stop.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo assailants confronted Kyle at the bus stop that night,\u201d Baldwin said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had come from a black Mitsubishi Outlander SUV, which was parked nearby.<\/p>\n \u201cKyle was struck with a large bladed weapon. He sustained unsurvivable injuries and, despite the best efforts of the paramedics and medical specialists at Auckland Hospital, he died at Auckland Hospital a short time later.<\/p>\n \u201cThe police investigation into Kyle\u2019s murder has been ongoing for the last five months, and our understanding of the events has developed significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n Baldwin said \u201cmost of the people involved\u201d in the incident were in Auckland. There are still items \u201cof interest\u201d belonging to Whorrall that are outstanding, he said.<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n He said he spoke with Whorrall\u2019s mother this morning.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an incredibly tough thing for her to deal with\u2026 We just want to find out what happened to Kyle.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did nothing wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n Baldwin said Kyle was confronted by two assailants at the bus stop.<\/p>\n The black SUV had been circling around the spot where Whorrall was sitting, security camera footage showed.<\/p>\n Baldwin launched a renewed appeal for information last month<\/a>, pleading with those involved with the student\u2019s death to \u201cdo the right thing\u201d. <\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe know there were others in the vehicle that night, and I\u2019m asking people with that information to come forward now.\u201d<\/p>\n Whorrall\u2019s mother, Carole, told the Herald she wanted her son to be remembered for his life, not his death, when she spoke after his memorial in May. <\/p>\n \u201cKyle was a brilliant, gentle and deeply caring person whose love for the natural world shaped his life and inspired those around him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was dedicated to making a difference and about to embark on a brilliant career. He was deeply loved and admired by his family.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u014cr\u0101kei Local Board arranged for a memorial service at St Johns Bush<\/a>, where a p\u014dhutukawa was planted, with Carole in attendance. <\/p>\n Whorrall, who was originally from Los Angeles, was in the last stages of a PhD in entomology at the University of Auckland and was based at Landcare Research in St Johns.<\/p>\n AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n Police claim two occupants of the erratically driven vehicle attacked Whorrall while he was sitting alone at a bus stop in Meadowbank on April 22.<\/p>\n Whorrall was struck with a \u201clong\u201d weapon, suffering multiple head injuries, and later died in hospital.<\/p>\n Sign up to Herald Premium Editor\u2019s Picks<\/a>, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week\u2019s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here<\/a>.<\/p>\nUniversity of Auckland student Kyle Whorrall was attacked at a St Johns bus stop at Easter and died later in hospital.<\/p>\n
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin revealed today that police discovered a machete in Maybury Reserve in Glen Innes yesterday. Photo \/ Michael Craig<\/p>\n
A floral tribute at the bus stop on St John\u2019s Rd, where US student Kyle Whorrall was killed. Photo \/ Alex Burton<\/p>\n