Murder arrest brings relief By Susan Sandys There was huge relief in Ashburton yesterday after an arrest was made following the vicious murder of Sina Solomona on Saturday. A youth was arrested on Wednesday night. Devon Tavern 2ic Toni Guy said when she heard the news via a patron shortly after police announced it yesterday morning, she waited until she had it confirmed via the television news.
There had been so many rumours flying around since the murder and she was not sure which ones were true. She said she would like to see the offender tried as an adult. A patron, Laura Davis, said the Solomona family often visited the pub and were always friendly, and Sina herself had been happy go lucky and cheeky.
The family would sit at a corner near the pool table so they could play pool, and would always invite her to come over and spend time with. Donna Favel at the Regent.
Police had been out relentlessly searching the surrounding area including rubbish bins in hot weather over the last few days. The cinema is across the road from the Salvation Army shop where a. Fellow cinema owner David Favel said he had seen a rumour via Facebook on Wednesday night that someone had handed themselves in, but after all the rumours of the previous few days he did not believe it.
The cinema had been contacted by people wanting to send flowers to the family since the murder, and he said it was fantastic that now an arrest had been made. Mr Taufalele particularly felt for the three-year-old daughter of Sina, who did not understand the enormity of what had happened in her life. He hoped people did not lose their faith and trust in the community from such a tragic event. It was a huge challenge to find the right words and the right kind of spirit when such an awful event had occurred.
