A teenager accused of murdering a man at a motel in Epsom on Wednesday night has appeared in court and will deny the charge.

Police launched a homicide investigation after the person died at the Off Broadway Motel on Alpers Ave.

A witness said they saw detectives questioning a shirtless man covered with blood at the scene.

The 19-year-old man charged with murder after the death appeared in the Auckland District Court on Thursday before Judge Debra Bell via audio-visual link from custody.

Court documents list him as living at the motel where he allegedly killed a man he knew.

His lawyer Jonathan Hudson said a not-guilty plea would be entered on the murder charge.

He sought and was granted interim name suppression until his client’s next appearance, saying there was an arguable case his fair trial rights could be endangered by publication at this stage and that his family could be exposed to extreme hardship.

The threshold for suppression is low at first appearance and a lawyer only has to show there is an arguable case.

Family members of the accused were in the public gallery.

Judge Bell remanded the man in custody ahead of his next appearance in the Auckland High Court on September 13. The Judge suppressed a comment the man made during his brief apperance.

• Teenager charged with murder after death at Auckland motel
• Epsom motel death: Accused teens appear in High Court

The teenager’s hearing came after the first appearance of a man and woman jointly charged with another, unrelated murder in central Auckland on Thursday.

Their appearances were punctuated by a power cut in the Auckland District Court which saw lawyers, defendants, police and court staff using phone torches to navigate their way out of the building before power was restored.

Meanwhile, police are still seeking the killers in two other unsolved homicides in the city this month, one in Queen St and one in Pt England.

Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Armstrong, Auckland City CIB, said the 19-year-old man and his alleged victim at the motel were known to each other and police were not seeking anyone else over the death.

“We would like to reassure the community this appears to be an isolated incident.”

The community could expect to see police in the area while further inquiries were carried out, Armstrong said.

“A scene guard remains in place at the address this morning and will likely remain in place today.”

Emergency services were called to the Off Broadway Motel in Epsom around 7.25pm on Wednesday. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Police launched an investigation on Wednesday night following the death at the Off Broadway Motel.

Emergency services responded around 7.25pm to reports of a person with serious injuries at the motel in Epsom, but the person died at the scene.

A person covered in blood was seen being escorted from the motel. Police confirmed they had one person in custody who was assisting them to determine the circumstances of the death.

A witness told the Herald the police came rushing into the motel complex before questioning a shirtless man “with blood all over his body”.

“They’re not allowing anyone on the first floor,” she said.

“They have got the detectives downstairs underneath the car park and, we had police downstairs in the car park like walking around investigating.”

Police this morning said they would provide more details around the victim’s identity when they were able, but were limited in providing further comment because the matter was before the courts.

Just hours earlier, a 70-year-old man died after suffering serious injuries at an apartment complex on Upper Queen St in central Auckland.

A 35-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested and appeared in the Auckland District Court on Thursday,

Police on Wednesday night were still working to notify the victim’s next of kin. A post-mortem examination was to be carried out on Thursday.

A detective in white coveralls inside the Off Broadway Motel on Wednesday night. Photo / Hayden Woodward