The manslaughter of Eli Holtz: A 'rippling' tragedy and his whānau's vow

The family of slain teen Eli Holtz say they are broken by the death of one of their number - but they have vowed to "reset" and work hard to prevent others feeling their immense pain and heartache.

Eli, 18, died after he was violently assaulted by Myron Felise in January last year.

Seconds before Felise chased Eli down and landed six deadly blows to his head, the
Northland teen had fired a water pistol out of a car window, striking the older man.

The Northland teen was savagely punched six times in the head.

He suffered non-survivable injuries and died in hospital, his hands held by his mother and birth mother and his sister's hand on his heart.

In November Felise admitted a charge of manslaughter.

Today the killer - who has been before the courts before for his part in the death of Manurewa liquor store owner Navtej Singh in 2008 - was jailed for 7 years.

His mother Kirsten Holtz, her sister Lorr Ramage who is Eli's birth mother, sisters Chanelle and Brooklyn and father Bevan read emotional Victim Impact Statements to the court.

Felise's mother was also permitted to read a statement and said she wished the Holtz family peace and healing.

Outside court Ramage read a further statement.

Flanked by her whānau she took a deep breath and spoke again about the impact of losing Eli so brutally and suddenly.

"This past year for our family has been the hardest we've had to endure," she said.

"The last 13 months have taken an incredible toll on us, mentally, physically, financially and emotionally.

"The ripple effect from this tragedy spans well beyond our whānau and we want to acknowledge the Felise family at this time as well.

"There are no winners through this terrible ordeal… we have lost our son Eli.

"This is the time to reset as a family and we promise to make more contributions to the community to honour Eli and address the issues of violence in Aotearoa."

Ramage thanked Victim Support and all of the people who supported their Facebook page Justice for Eli.

"It allows us to open up conversations on how we can make our community safer," she said.

Members of the Holtz family also embraced members of the killer's family at court.
In court Justice Gerard van Bohemen lambasted Felise for his actions.

Killer Myron Felise. NZ Herald photograph

He revealed Felise was "off your face drunk" when he took to the teenager, having consumed up to 15 shots, 25 ready-to-drink beverages and "several" beers.

Felise had a clear issue with alcohol, he said.

"I have viewed the [CCTV] videotape, it is clear you never felt any threat," he said.

"Your response was unwarranted."

"You have a predilection to engage in violent offending under the influence of alcohol,"

He paid tribute to the Holtz family for their courage and dignity in court.

Members of Felise's family were also present.

"No penalty imposed by this court can equate to the loss of Eli," he said.

"One life has been lost, but many more damaged.

"None of you could have imagined being in this situation, sadly we are here and we have
to deal with the consequence."

Police also spoke out about the sentence.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kathryn Bostock said Eli's death was "a tragedy".

"This was a shocking and senseless attack with devastating consequences.

"Our deepest sympathies are with Eli's family.

"No parent should have to go through what they have had to go through.

"While nothing can bring Eli back, we hope today's decision will provide some degree of comfort to his family.

"I also want to acknowledge the efforts of the Crown and police investigation team involved in this case."