By Rachel Tiffen
Wellington man Timothy Parlane's online romance is at the centre of a police investigation into the murder of fellow death-metaller Matthew Hall.
On this profile he was simply Tim from Lower Hutt who didn't smoke, didn't drink and had never been married.
Police are using dating sites NZDating and FindSomeone, which is owned by TradeMe, to track down a specific woman.
They believe she was with Parlane the night before Mr Hall was murdered and they want to speak to her.
Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thornton says up to 30 women have been sent messages. He says a few have responded but not the woman they're seeking.
Senior Sergeant Thornton says another woman, who has claimed through the Dominion Post that Parlane confessed the murder to her, was another online acquaintance. But he says police haven't spoken to her since the article appeared on the weekend.
When police want to search private sites, they need permission - either with a warrant or under Section 11E of the Privacy Act.
This says any agency with private information needed by police to enforce the law, must release it.
3 News spoke to Parlane's parents at his family home but they were too upset to appear on camera. They say they are very upset by their son's trial by media. They said despite their son's appearance in his death metal promotional photos he was a gentle person who never displayed any aggressive behaviour. Police had told them everybody they'd spoken to couldn't comprehend him committing such a crime.
3 News