He was allegedly rammed off the road, chased down, abducted, bashed and stripped naked by a group of associates who were hunting the final spoils of what was once a $500,000 compensation payout.
And when one of the alleged kidnappers was stabbed to death inside a unit at Hamilton South, the belief was that it was Killian Reynolds, now 25, who had inflicted the wounds in self-defence in a desperate and frenzied attempt to flee his captors. But in a recent induced statement - provided to detectives after the DPP withdrew the manslaughter charge against him - Mr Reynolds claims he could not have stabbed 51-year-old Valentino Taufaao, known as "Malou".
Mr Reynolds - who as part of the statement was given immunity from prosecution for any incriminating answers he gave - said he had been badly beaten, stripped naked and was sitting in a chair in the unit while some of his kidnappers tried to work out how to transfer money out of his bank account.
Mr Reynolds said he was trying to summon the strength to pick up a knife on the ground when someone bashed him over the head and he "saw red".
It was around that time that he says he heard Mr Taufaao, who he said was "six or seven metres" away from him, fall to the ground.
"'Cause I didn't even have the energy to open the door or get up and, like, yeah, I, I couldn't even pick up the knife properly," Mr Reynolds told police when they asked how he could be sure it wasn't him who stabbed Mr Taufaao.
"Like if I had the energy, like I didn't even have the energy to get up and do that to anyone, but if I did, he wouldn't have been the person I would have done that to, if that makes sense.
"I don't know for sure who did it, but I just know it wasn't me."
According to Mr Reynolds' account, there were a number of people in the unit at different times while he was allegedly being detained.
Mr Reynolds said despite the kidnapping, and an earlier alleged incident when he was robbed of his jewellery, he was close to Mr Taufaao and he said Mr Taufaao had not assaulted him on the night of the kidnapping, while some other members of the group had allegedly repeatedly bashed him around the head.
I don't know for sure who did it, but I just know it wasn't me.
Killian Reynolds when asked by detectives who stabbed Valentino Taufaao.
