Two men who ordered Alex Latimer to dig his own grave before murdering him have been handed life sentences, of 20 years and 17 years nine months without parole respectively.
The body of 30-year-old Alex Latimer was found at a property in Te Hāroto in September 2018.. Photo: Supplied
Napier man Alex Latimer, 30, was killed by David James Lothian and James Taylor Webby in September last year after they lured him to a rural Hawke's Bay property on the pretence of buying drugs from him.
Lothian, 27, who led the attack, was today sentenced in the High Court in Napier to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years.
David James Lothian pleaded guilty to murdering Napier man Alex Latimer. Photo: RNZ / Anusha Bradley
Webby, 24, was also sentenced to life with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years and nine months.
Justice Robert Dobson described Mr Latimer's murder as "callous and cruel".
Reading her victim impact statement to the court, Mr Latimer's sister-in-law Megan Latimer described how his death had affected her and how she and her husband could no longer sleep at night.
"I refuse to sleep with the lights off, in a pathetic attempt to believe that Alex is not dead," Megan Latimer said.
"I naively thought that something this insidious is something we would only ever read about.
"Because of what you did to Alex, we were unable to see him... dress him."
"Our future sons will be robbed of their Uncle Alex. The damage and loss is not something we will every get over."
Mr Latimer's body was found at the Te Hāroto property days after he was lured there by an associate of Lothian's, Ashton Boyd, who told him he wanted to buy drugs.
The three had gathered at Lothian's place and were "drinking homebrew bourbon and smoking cannabis", before Mr Boyd texted Mr Latimer asking him to deliver drugs to him.
James Taylor Webby. Photo: RNZ / Anusha Bradley
Crown prosecutor Steve Manning said Mr Latimer's murder was "brutal and callous".
"One of the most disturbing factors was that of premeditation. The victim knew he was going to die. He was told to dig his own grave."
The Crown argued a discount of two years should be given for the pair's guilty plea, which Justice Dobson agreed to despite saying it was "generous".
Webby and Lothian's lawyers argued life imprisonment without parole would be too harsh a sentence given the young ages of the men.
Justice Dobson acknowledged the four victim impact statements from Mr Lothian's family and urged the men to read them if they had not already.
"Your limited dealings with Mr Latimer may only have been in the context of drug dealing but clearly he had another life in a close-knit family where he gave and received love and support, and your brutal killing of him was entirely unprovoked."
Lothian was given a final warning under the three strikes law, with Justice Dobson telling him he could be sentenced to the maximum penalty if he committed another serious crime.
In a statement, Detective Sergeant Darren Pritchard said today's sentencing had provided Mr Latimer's family "with a sense of justice".
"On behalf of the Latimer family, I can say that some degree of closure has occurred for them today," he said.
"Police are also happy with the outcome of today's sentencing. The death of Mr Latimer was a needless tragedy that will forever leave a void in his family."
The Latimer family had requested privacy, he said.