The brother of murder victim Susan Burdett has spoken out saying he’s relieved to have been given closure.
A jury today found Malcolm Rewa guilty of the 1992 murder of Susan Burdett.
The jury returned the verdict after four hours of deliberation.
It was Rewa's third trial for the murder of Ms Burdett after two other juries failed to decide if he was guilty of the crime.
Rewa was convicted of Burdett's rape in 1998.
Teina Pora was wrongly jailed in 1994 for the murder of Ms Burdett when he was 17.
After two decades in prison, Pora's conviction was quashed and he was awarded $3.5 million in compensation.
Ms Burdett's body was found in her Papatoetoe home in March 1992.
She suffered five or more blows to the head with a blunt object.
Ms Burdett's brother, Jim Burdett, told Newshub it was a relief that the case had finally come to a close.
"The right person is in the right place for the right reason," he said.
He explained that it was a relief to know Susan's "character won't be dragged through the courts again."
"Given the history of the case I wasn't expecting anything from this verdict."
Detective Superintendent Dave Lynch said police were "pleased to welcome the jury's verdict today in convicting Malcolm Rewa of Susan's murder."
"I'd just like to acknowledge all the witnesses that came forward to give evidence during the trial, it's not easy 26 years later coming back to relive some traumatic experiences."
Rewa will be sentenced on March 26.
Newshub.
