A 21-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering a taxi driver in Nausori in 2021. Noeli Jack Tamanikaisau was convicted by Justice Dane Tuiqereqere at the High Court in Suva on Wednesday. He faced charges of murder and robbery related to the case of 60-year-old Satya Pillay, which occurred on Qiolevu Rd in Nausori on September 26, three years ago.
Court documents indicate that Tamanikaisau, who was 19 at the time of the incident, entered Pillay’s taxi and directed him to a secluded farm road where he strangled him. Afterward, he concealed the body in the car’s boot and abandoned Pillay’s naked remains on the roadside.
The State and defense have been instructed to submit sentencing and mitigating statements by September 20. Tamanikaisau also faces charges for stealing Pillay’s mobile phone and $15 in cash. The court will address this matter in its next session, with the sentencing hearing for the murder conviction set for October 1.