Dartelle Alder, now 43, was 23 when he ran down Margaret Baxter. (File pic)
Dartelle Alder, who murdered Wellington woman Margaret Baxter in 2001, has made progress in prison and is on course to be released, but maintains he did not deliberately run Baxter down.
Alder, who is now 43, was aged 23 on January 20, 2001, when he ran Baxter down with his car as she was jogging in Hawke's Bay. He then dumped her in his car and drove to a house, where he raped her before stabbing her more than 30 times. Alder killed Baxter by smashing a terracotta tile on her head.
Alder, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to life with a 15-year non-parole term for the murder, which was increased by the Court of Appeal to 17 years non-parole – one of the longest terms in New Zealand's history.