Connor Morris and Millie Elder-Holmes in a photograph posted online by Hinemoa Elder. Photo / Facebook
Connor Morris and Millie Elder-Holmes in a photograph posted online by Hinemoa Elder. Photo / Facebook
Michael Thrift Murray, the man who admitted killing Head hunters gang member Connor Morris in a street fight in West Auckland last year, has been found guilty of his murder.
A jury of eight men and four women reached a verdict this afternoon in the High Court at Auckland following a two-week trial.
Murray, 34, had claimed he acted in defence of his brother when he hit Mr Morris in the head with a sickle-like tool last August.
He pleaded not guilty to murder, saying he did not intend to hurt or kill Mr Morris. He was worried that Mr Morris would seriously hurt or kill his 22-year-old brother, Stanley Popata-Murray.
Mr Morris' girlfriend, Millie Holmes, said on Instagram after the verdict was announced: "We all knew it, glad that the justice system came through for you baby @cnnrmrris cant believe I'm happy about something so sad, doesn't bring you back or change our reality now, doesn't change how much we all miss you or how much we all wish we could turn back time...but you got justice and for everyone who knew you it means a little bit of closure... #JusticeForConnor"
She also uploaded a quote from American novelist Stephen Chbosky.
"So, this is my life. And I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be," it read.
Friends and family of Connor Morris leave the Auckland High Court. Photo / Dean Purcell
She also uploaded a quote from American novelist Stephen Chbosky. "So, this is my life. And I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be," it read.
Millie Elder-Holmes after she gave an emotional account of Morris' final moments last week. Photo / Greg Bowker
The Morris family and their supporters left court without commenting.
However they did stop to thank police for their work and support.
Police will not be commenting on the case until after Murray is sentenced.
In court a relative of Mr Morris yelled a threat to the murderer.
"Murray your time is coming," he said before he was quietened by the judge.
Murray will be sentenced in September.
WHO'S WHO - WHERE THEY WERE
THE HOUSEWARMING PARTY AT 425 DON BUCK RD • Held by Cymmion Morris, sister of the victim. Attended by Connor Morris, his girlfriend Millie Elder-Holmes and parents Chris and Julie Morris. • Chris and Connor Morris were patched members of the Head Hunters gang, as were others at the party.
THE 21ST PARTY AT 403 DON BUCK RD • Held by Iesha Teiho for her brother's 21st birthday. • Ms Teiho's brother, Trevor Morunga, who was 17 at the time of the killing and started the fight by kicking a member of another group walking past the house. • Shamus Wira, cousin of Ms Teiho, Mr Morunga and Murray, was involved in the brawl but further down the street from where Mr Morris was fatally wounded. First to be arrested when police arrived. • Luya Kariauria, partner of Mr Wira, attended the party but was at the petrol station when the brawl began and drove off soon after.
MURRAY'S PLACE AT 401 DON BUCK RD • Michael Murray lived in a sleepout at the back of the property. • Stanley Popata-Murray, one of Murray's brothers, lived in a second room in the sleepout • Zane Williams lived in the main house with his partner. • Bodhi Young, a friend of Stanley Popata-Murray, was visiting Murray's partner, two daughters, son and the boy's best mate were also staying in the sleepout. They all have name suppression.
407 DON BUCK RD • This house is across the road from where Mr Morris was killed. The people here are not connected with either of the parties that were going on and did not know Mr Morris or Murray. • Karli-Ann Haenga, visiting her friend for the night so their partners could watch the Super Rugby final, heavily pregnant and not drinking, watched the street fight from an upstairs window. • Sharlene Norman, lived at number 407 and was watching the fight from upstairs also. She called 111 when she saw Mr Morris collapse and stayed on the phone to the operator while watching him until the ambulance arrived.
THE CROWN • David Johnstone: prosecutor for Meredith Connell. A highly experienced trial lawyer who specialises in drug and gang-related crime. Among his most notable prosecutions are the murder trial of Grenville Fahey, a homeless man who stabbed another to death in Myers Park, and New Zealand's largest case on ecstasy substitutes, involving Class B and C controlled drug importing and selling worth more than $30 million, 10 defendants, and an 18-week trial. • Sam McMullan: a prosecutor at Meredith Connell who was assisting Mr Johnstone. Mr McMullan graduated with a law degree from Victoria University in 2010 with first class honours. He has worked part-time for the Law Commission and has clerked for Justices Wild and Dobson and Associate Justice Gendall.
THE DEFENCE • Marie Dyhrberg QC: One of the country's most experienced defence lawyers. She defended Teina Pora at his retrial for the murder of Susan Burdett and represented the • Kahui twins; mother Macsyne King at the Coroner's inquest into their 2006 deaths. She was assisted by barrister Kathryn Maxwell.
THE JUDGE • Justice Edwin Wylie graduated from the University of Canterbury in 1975 with a law degree with first class honours. He went on to complete his PhD in Administrative Law from University of Cambridge in 1980. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2002 and a Judge in 2008 and is based in Auckland. High profile cases he has presided over include the trial of former Auckland Mayor John Banks.
THE COPS • Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown and Detective Greg Brand were in charge of the investigation into Mr Morris' death, dubbed Operation Venice. Both are experienced investigators and have worked on high-profile murder and other investigations. Mr Brown was also involved in investigations into the murders of Blessie Gotingco and Cissy Chen.
• Michael Murray murdered Connor Morris • He saw a fist fight break out and armed himself with a weapon, thus acting "wholly unreasonably" • It was likely Mr Morris was attacking Murray's brother, but with bare hands • Defence witnesses had all lied to police and the accounts they gave in evidence did not match, thus making them unreliable witnesses • Murray did not call any warning to Mr Morris before he took several steps towards him and swung the sickle so hard it broke the 26-year-old's skull, entered his brain and pushed his brain stem to the other side of his head • Murray was not defending anyone, he had gone beyond defence and was attacking • Murray either intended to kill Mr Morris or must have intended to hurt in him a way that he knew could quite possibly cause death • No one else had weapons, and Murray himself told the court he did not see anyone else armed • Head Hunters were involved in the fight but their behaviour at the scene did not have any bearing on what Murray did • Murray had options other than hitting Mr Morris, including using his kickboxing training to defend his brother, pulling the younger sibling away or calling police • Murray went to some effort to retrieve the weapon and, having used it in the past, knew the damage it could inflict
DEFENCE CASE
• Michael Murray killed Connor Morris • He struck him in the head with a sickle but did not intend to hurt or kill him • Used the defence of defending another and said given the circumstances the force used was reasonable • Murray saw a "wave" of men including Head Hunters gang members run down the street after an earlier altercation between his group and theirs • A violent fight broke out and his group was vastly outnumbered, overwhelmed and overpowered • He saw his cousin Shamus Wira getting bashed by Mr Morris' associates and ran home to grab the sickle from behind his sleepout • When he returned to the road he could not see Mr Wira but saw Mr Morris giving his younger brother Stanley Popata-Murray a "serious hiding" • He planned to brandish the sickle to scare Mr Morris and his group off • He yelled out to Mr Morris to leave his brother alone, and was told to "f*** off" • He closed his eyes and swung the sickle, never intending to make contact • Murray was regretful about his actions and had a "heavy burden" • There were no other realistic options available at the time for Murray. He could not simply pick his brother up and run, could not fight Mr Morris who was much bigger and the sickle was the only thing he could use to protect himself and others
