Liquor store accused trying to play down roles in murder - prosecutor

One of the seven accused, Anitilea Chan Kee. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Lawyers for six young men accused of the fatal shooting of liquor store owner Navtej Singh will today begin to give their closing addresses to a High Court jury.

Anitilea Chan Kee, 22, Myron Robert Felise, 22, Jason Naseri, 21, Tino Faamele Felise, 19, Eti Filoa, 25, and Walter McCarthy are jointly charged with murdering Mr Singh during an armed robbery of his liquor store on June 7, 2008.

He was shot once in the abdomen during the robbery and died the next day in hospital.

In his closing address yesterday, Crown prosecutor Kieran Raftery told the High Court at Auckland each of the accused had sought to downplay his involvement.

"The Crown says you haven't heard the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth - each of them are trying to minimise their role in the murder."

He said they were guilty of murder even if it wasn't their intention because they went there intent on committing a robbery, with a loaded gun, in the knowledge someone could get hurt or killed in the process.

"[The plan] did go wrong, he did get shot and now he's dead. It's as simple as that."

Attempts to say the plan changed during the course of the robbery weren't correct.

"It didn't change at all, it didn't change from start to finish. We're going to rob the liquor store with a loaded rifle [and] someone could end up hurt, even if you didn't mean someone to."

The six men are jointly charged because they were all culpable for Mr Singh's death, even though there was only one main offender, the Crown said.

Anitilea Chan Kee is the accused gunman. He allegedly shot Mr Singh after walking into the store yelling: "Freeze motherf*****, give us the money."

He denies the murder charge because he says he never meant to kill Mr Singh.

Mr Raftery said each man played a different role. Chan Kee "didn't go there alone with a loaded gun" but had a team with him that provided support and encouragement.

The law said anyone who took part in armed robbery was just as guilty as the gunman, because they helped him commit the crime.

He told the jury it should remember the character evidence called during the trial.

"Whatever was said about how virtuous these men are, they did indeed go to the Riverton Liquor Store, and some of them robbed the store, and one of their number shot the manager," he said.

A seventh man, Mefiposeta Chan Kee, 26, is charged with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly tampering with evidence but is not charged with murder.