A 26-year-old Porirua man has been remanded in custody after appearing in the district court charged with assaulting a man who died in hospital three days later.
Bruce Coker, who was 49, was found lying unconscious in a street in the Wellington suburb of Tawa on 20 December.
The man accused of assaulting Mr Coker was granted interim name suppression when he appeared before two Justices of the Peace this morning.
He was remanded in custody and will appear in the Porirua district court again on 13 January.
Mr Coker had been at a pre-Christmas family party and was found unconscious just metres from the property in Tawa.
Meanwhile, another man who was described by the police as a person of interest in Mr Coker's case, has appeared in the Wellington District Court on unrelated charges.
Chance Slade Rameka, 21, admitted charges of possession of methampetamine, possession of a pipe, two breaches of community work and a joint charge of theft.
Rameka's lawyer, Alistair Clarke, sought interim name suppression, but Judge Jan Kelly denied the request.
Mr Rameka was remanded in custody to appear in the Porirua District Court for sentencing on Friday.
