Teen tells of 'keep mouth shut' warning

A South Auckland teenager was told to "keep his mouth shut" about a 14-year-old cannabis dealer attacked with a hammer, a jury was told yesterday.

Kruiz Miru, now 20, was giving evidence in the High Court at Auckland in the trial of Daniel Bobby Tumata, 25, and Nathan Tuiti Reo Mutunga Williams, 25, who are jointly charged with murdering 14-year-old John Hapeta on August 12 last year.

Tumata, Williams and a 17-year-old male who has name suppression are also accused of assault with intent to rob.

Tumata changed his plea and pleaded guilty to this charge on Tuesday. The Crown claims that Williams, armed with a hammer, and Tumata, armed with a gun, gatecrashed a birthday party at Hapeta's family home in Weymouth, south of Auckland.

The men grabbed Hapeta and demanded drugs. When he said he didn't have any, he was hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

The Crown alleges he was killed because he failed to make payments on an airgun.

Mr Miru, who was not at the party, told the court Tumata told him to "keep his mouth shut about the boy who died" but did not know why he had to stay silent. He said Tumata "freaked out" when he was informed that the victim had died.

Mr Miru, cross-examined by Tumata's lawyer Shane Tait, denied seeing any wound or injury on Tumata's hand or helping scrub blood off the driveway and helping dispose of Tumata's clothes.

A revolver was shown to the jury, and a police interview between Detective Constable Richard Morrison and Tumata was played. Tumata admitted he had a gun but it wasn't loaded, he said during the interview.

He said Williams had told him he had to say he knew nothing about the incident. "Then I found out he had plans to move to Oz and leave me with everything," Tumata said.

Tumata said he heard a crack when Hapeta was hit on the back of the head.

"It was loud enough for me to think he might have killed him."

- NZPA