A trial opened Monday for a man accused of murdering five people in Wellington, New Zealand, by deliberately setting fire to a boarding house that was nearly full when the blaze swept through the building.
The 50-year-old man, whose name was suppressed for the duration of the trial at the High Court in Wellington, has pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges for allegedly starting the May 2023 fire that killed five men at Loafers Lodge, a 92-bed hostel.
