A convicted killer of a teen shot dead at a party has been declined parole at his first appearance before the board.
Connor Whitehead, 16, was shot dead in the northern Christchurch suburb of Casebrook on November 5, 2021.
In May, Daniel Nelson Sparks and Joshua David Craig Smith were found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
Smith, who fired the fatal shot, was jailed for seven years. Sparks was jailed for six years and three months.
On Tuesday, Sparks appeared before the Parole Board.
A Parole Board spokesman confirmed to the Herald Sparks was declined parole and that the full hearing decision would be available in “due course”.
Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said at the pair’s sentencing while the jury found Smith did not act with murderous intent, both men were “responsible” for what happened.
Precisely what occurred the night of Connor’s death will never be known, Hawes said.
“What is known is these two men armed themselves with lethal weapons, travelled to the address where the party was held, and both fired shots.”
Their actions led to the “worst consequences imaginable”.
Justice Melanie Harland said Sparks also had an extensive criminal history. She accepted that since he was imprisoned following Connor’s death he had made “considerable steps” to turn his life around.
She said people expressed remorse in different ways, but it did not mean they were not remorseful. She believed he had expressed his remorse and that he wanted to say sorry but he did not think Connor’s family wanted to accept it from him.
“In my view, you are genuinely remorseful for your role in the offending.”
At trial, the Crown alleged both men responded to a call for help from Sparks’ son, as the party got out of control and he was threatened, by arming themselves with loaded firearms – a Stevens shotgun and a Mossberg shotgun – in Smith’s VW Golf.
About 11pm the two men arrived at the party. Sparks’ son pointed out the group of people acting aggressively towards him. Sparks approached them and there was a verbal argument. Gang signs were pulled and there was yelling.
Two shots were eventually fired, one from each of the firearms, one by each of the defendants.
The two shots were about six seconds apart. The Crown said the most likely scenario was that Smith fired the fatal shot that struck Whitehead and that Sparks fired a shot from the Mossberg into the air, likely from the car.
Whitehead was shot in the chest. His injuries were not survivable.
Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers crime. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022, and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
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