Mesiu Tufui, far left, and Fisilau Tapaevalu, far right, were sentenced today in the Auckland High Court. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Yolanda, however, survived by playing dead until being discovered by a passing motorist some hours later despite being critically wounded with two shots to the head with a revolver.
Police later charged three men, who are all cousins with links to the Comanchero Motorcycle Club, with Epalahame's murder and the attempted murder of Yolanda.
Patched member Viliami Taani, the "main guy" as Yolanda described him, pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced last week to life imprisonment by Justice Anne Hinton.
"I agree this was an execution-style killing," the judge said.
She added the fact Yolanda survived "was nothing short of miraculous".
As the shooter, Taani will also serve a minimum period of imprisonment of 17 years and six months.
Epalahame Tu'uheava was shot dead in an execution-style killing. Photo / Facebook
The other two, Fisilau Tapaevalu and Mesui Tufui, went to trial in the High Court at Auckland last month but the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts for the duo.
Today, they were sentenced by Justice Graham Lang.
Tufui will serve 19 years in prison before being eligible for parole, while Tapaevalu was given a minimum period of imprisonment of 17 years.
Crown prosecutor Gareth Kayes said the killing and attempted murder displayed a high level of brutality and callousness.
During the trial the court heard the hits on the pair may have been ordered from leaders of the Comancheros in Australia.
They had been given the "green light to kill" Epalahame, who had an association with the Australian Nomads gang, the court heard.
While it may never be known exactly why the couple were shot, Crown prosecutor Claire Robertson said during the trial it "appears there was some bad blood between the Comancheros and Tu'uheava."
Yolanda testified in the trial via video link from an undisclosed location and is understood to be in witness protection.
Surgeons had extracted one bullet from Yolanda's head but the other remained because it was too dangerous to remove.
She was not in court today.
The revolver that was used to shoot Yolanda Tu'uheava. Photo / Supplied
However, during the trial she explained how her husband became involved in gang life after the pair moved from South Auckland to Sydney in 2014 to be more financially stable while raising a young child.
But the court heard Tu'uheava, a truck driver, became a patched member of the Australian Nomads gang.
They lived in Australia until 2017, but after returning to New Zealand Tu'uheava continued to delve into the criminal world and began selling drugs.
"I noticed he was watching these videos of the Comos with their bikes, all these flash things that they had, so he was trying to find a way to get a hold of them ... He admired the material stuff they had."
Yolanda said her husband made contact with the Comancheros and maintained communications with them on social media.
But any relationship they had soon soured.
In his police interview, Tufui said there was a "guy who's making money off the Como name and we're going to put him to sleep."
Yolanda said she suspected her husband was involved in drug dealing when she found a bag full of cash as the couple flew back from a trip to Invercargill.
There was some $48,000 in the carry-on bag, while $15,000 was in another bag, the court heard.
"You don't make that much driving [a] truck. It had to be something dodgy he was doing," Yolanda said.
Viliami Taani will serve a minimum period of imprisonment of 17 years and six months. Photo / Getty Images
The cash was to be taken to "some new guys" who had links to Tu'uheava's new gang connections, the court heard.
Taani, Tapaevalu and Tufui met Tu'uheava and his wife at a McDonald's in South Auckland before they later drove to Greenwood Rd in Māngere.
After some lengthy discussions, the couple were ordered out of the car and shot on the road.
Justice Lang called it "an execution of a defenceless person".
But the judge also questioned if there was a premeditated plan to kill Tu'uheava why had the perpetrators waited before shooting him and his wife.
"This was initially a meeting to discuss a drug transaction," he said.
"Something occurred to spark the violence ... Only Mr Taani and Mr Tufui will ever know what that was."
While Taani was the executioner, Justice Lang came to the conclusion Tufui followed the couple down the road with a shotgun knowing Taani intended to kill them.
While recovering in hospital, Yolanda identified Taani and Tufui as her offenders from a police photoboard, Detective Sergeant Tamaru Anderson told the court.
But Tufui's lawyer Paul Borich QC argued Yolanda was mistaken and said his client wasn't on Greenwood Rd at the time of the shootings.
Sam Wimsett, Tapaevalu's counsel, contested that while his client accepted he was at the scene he "didn't do anything" and placed the culpability solely with Taani.
In a May raid last year, police found the revolver and rifle used during the shootings at a Te Atatu property.
Tapaevalu earlier pleaded guilty to illegally possessing the rifle and revolver, and two charges of possession of meth for supply.
Tufui also pleaded guilty to one charge of possession of a class A drug.
Another firearm used in the shooting. Photo / Supplied
Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua spoke about the case after the hearing.
