Hunter Mikaere Puata-Chaney in the dock for his sentencing. Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell
The man who murdered a West Auckland father and daughter has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years and six months.
Patched Head Hunter Mikaere Puata-Chaney pleaded guilty earlier this year to murdering Eliza and Geoffrey Trubuhovich in July 2022.
Puata-Chaney drove to the pair's home, shooting them and the family dog in their front yard. Police launched a homicide investigation in the Auckland suburb of Glendene after they were fatally shot.
Today, family of the victims read their impact statements before the High Court in Auckland. The public gallery was overflowing, with some of the victims' family moved into the jury box. The doors of the courtroom were also held open with a large crowd watching from the atrium.
Justice Rebecca Edwards heard from victims how the loss of their loved ones had destroyed their lives.
The victims' step-son and brother, Rainiero Penetenio, witnessed the killing. In his statement, he described the significant loss felt by the family.
"The emptiness of losing them is something we live with every day," he said.
The shock and terror of the crime had stayed with him since that day.
"When it happened, I was absolutely shocked, shattered, terrified and deeply disheartened."
Relative in denial until deaths confirmed
The grand-daughter and niece of the victims, Kali Truhubovich said, through tears, how she refused to believe that they had been killed, before having the news confirmed.
"I didn't want to believe that something as tragic and senseless as this could happen to my family, so I continued to tell myself that no news was good news; it was a surreal feeling," she said.
Truhubovich described her hurt at hearing the news of her loved ones passing through the media, six hours ahead of getting official confirmation. She said she was haunted by the memory of having to tell her little brother the pair had been killed.
"I relive that moment over and over; no one should have to tell their loved one of such a horrific and senseless act."
She said she no longer felt safe in Auckland after Puata-Chaney's actions. The victims' wife and mother was overseas when the murders took place.
She said she was expecting the pair to pick her up from the airport, but was, instead, met by police. She described uncontrollably shaking and screaming after she learnt of their deaths.
"I couldn't accept it and I was in shock," she said.
Her loss had led her to isolate herself from her friends and community.
"Even with family around helping it is still difficult, it will never be the same."
She said she lit a candle every day, to remember the two she lost.
Murders 'a determined effort'
Addressing Justice Rebecca Edwards, Crown solicitor Alysha Mcclintock said the killing was a determined effort from Puata-Chaney.
"There were 10 live rounds of ammunition at the scene, and at least eight spent cases as well, so it's not one or two shots, it's what I call a determined effort," she said.
Mcclintock said Puata-Chaney's struggle with Eliza was what alerted her father to the situation.
"This was an armed man, the ex-partner of Eliza, who not only broke the door off its hinges but then pulled her from the safety of her home as she pled 'No, no, no'."
Actions blamed on a methamphetamine induced psychosis
Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield KC said Puata-Chaney understood the severity of the charges.
"Mr Puata-Chaney acknowledges the terrible crimes he has committed, he also acknowledges the understandable devastation caused by his crimes," he said.
He said Puata-Chaney suffered from an addiction to methamphetamine, and that his family gang history played a part in this. Mansfield's argument was that Puata-Chaney was suffering from a methamphetamine induced psychosis at the time of the murder.
He said he did not believe that Puata-Chaney was evil.
"He is not a man who is truly evil; he is not a man from whom the community needs to be protected. He is a man who needs help but also must pay for the crimes that he has committed," he said.
In her sentencing, Justice Edwards remarked on how impactful the statements of the victims' families were. She made special note of the victims' wife and mother's statement.
"It is a hugely emotional day," she said.
Justice Edwards described Puata-Chaney's actions as callous. "You were ruthless, uncompromising and callously indifferent that day."
She said the fact he called police on himself after the killings meant there was some hope for him, and that he should foster that during his time in prison.
Justice Edwards said Puata-Chaney's guilty plea represented accountability and responsibility for his actions. As Puata-Chaney was escorted from the dock, a member of the crowd cried "loser" and "weak" with one suggesting he should take his own life.
In a statement released after the sentencing the police acknowledged the judgment. They described the killing as violent and senseless, and shared their condolences with the Trubuhovich family, wishing them well as they moved forward with their lives.
In another statement, this one from the Trubuhovich family, they said the lives of Eliza and Geoffrey Trubuhovich would live on in those they had touched.