Lia Bezett, sister of murdered man Brent Bacon, speaks outside court after the sentencing of John Collins.
John Collins killed his friend and father-of-three Brent Bacon with a cricket bat, and later dumped his body off a rural road.
The 39-year-old appeared for sentencing before Justice Jan-Marie Doogue in the High Court of Dunedin on Friday. He will serve at least 17 years in jail.
That followed a six-day trial, in which jurors later unanimously convicted Collins, who had earlier pleaded guilty to improperly interfering with the body and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, of murder.
During the trial the Crown argued Bacon was murdered at a Lock St home, which Collins shared with his wife, Aleisha Dawson, on the night of February 4, 2019.