Escaped New Zealand killer moves Chile to Brazil: police

A convicted killer who escaped New Zealand and fled to Chile has traveled on to Brazil, New Zealand Police said Tuesday.

Phillip John Smith had traveled on from Santiago to Rio de Janeiro, and "police are continuing to liaise with the relevant authorities in South America through Interpol as part of its ongoing investigation," said a police statement.

Police announced Monday that Smith had left New Zealand aboard a commercial flight on Nov. 6 after obtaining a passport in his birth name of Phillip John Traynor.

Smith, 40, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 for stabbing to death a man whose son he had been sexually abusing.

The Department of Corrections, the Department of Internal Affairs and the police were working together to determine how Smith had got a passport, made arrangements to leave New Zealand, and who helped him.

A joint statement from the three agencies on Monday said police had, through Interpol, notified the Chilean authorities of Smith's criminal history, status and known identities.

Smith, who was denied parole last year because he was considered "high risk" and a "serious danger" to the community, absconded from the care of a family member during a 72-hour temporary release from a prison in the upper North Island. Enditem