Guilty plea to manslaughter in ‘drug deal gone wrong’

Naya Ropiu Fabian Wharekura, 28, is on trial within the Excessive Court docket at Invercargill right now after pleading not responsible to murdering Chad Terrance Parekura and making an attempt to homicide Austin Jazz McGregor on April 23, 2022.

This morning he pleaded responsible to different costs of manslaughter and wounding with intent to trigger grievous bodily hurt.

The stabbing passed off on Don St, close to the Invercargill Courthouse in what Crown Prosecutor Mary-Jane Thomas stated was a “drug deal gone mistaken”.

She stated the case was “very slender” and the one subject was whether or not the defendant supposed to kill the boys when he assaulted them.

The Crown case is that on April 22, Wharekura and a few associates wished to purchase MDMA.

They are saying an affiliate texted Mr McGregor who agreed to promote half a gram for $150.

They met him exterior Tillermans Nightclub and bought into the automotive the place the defendant revealed he didn’t manage to pay for, however nonetheless took the medication.

Mr McGregor went into the membership the place his pals – together with Mr Parekura – have been. 

He defined to them what had occurred and that he had been ripped off, the Crown stated.

Wharekura then went to an deal with on Crawford St and determined he would repay Mr McGregor the total quantity.

On the home, he armed himself with a boning knife.

He then went again to Tillermans Nightclub with some associates, and Mr McGregor acquired a textual content to say they’d arrived.

CCTV footage performed for the jury right now confirmed Mr Parekura operating on the driver of the automotive and throwing a punch which missed.

Instantly following that, there was 13 seconds the place the footage was frozen.

Wharekura lunged at Mr Parekura and stabbed him in his left facet earlier than turning round and attacking Mr McGregor in an virtually similar method.

Mr Parekura fell to the bottom and bled to demise whereas Mr McGregor’s girlfriend used a shirt to use strain to his wound.

He was then rushed to Southland Hospital.

The Monday following the incident, police positioned Wharekura who stated that evening he had come dwelling from work, had some drinks and went to sleep.

He claimed he knew nothing concerning the stabbing, and when he was proven the footage, he stated the particular person within the video was not him.

Counsel John Westgate stated his shopper accepted that he attacked the 2 males, however not with murderous intent.

“What we’re speaking about right here is 2 single stabs. . . one to every particular person,” he stated.

Ms Thomas stated there have been no textual content messages that the police would produce as proof, though she stated the drug deal was organised by way of messaging.

“I think as a result of [there’s] drug dealing, no one wished to present the cops their telephone,” she stated.

Watching the CCTV footage throughout the Crown’s opening prompted an emotional response from a member of a sufferer’s household, who yelled a racial slur from the general public gallery, and was faraway from the courtroom.

Justice Paul Radich is presiding over the trial, which is predicted to take two weeks.

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