Whangarei High and District Court
Photo: Ministry of Justice website

This story contains details of violence that some readers may find disturbing.

The Crown has finished calling witnesses at a tense murder trial in Whangārei this afternoon.

Two brothers are accused of killing 23-year-old Haze Peihopa, who was stabbed after a street fight in the CBD just before midnight on Saturday, 12 June 2021.

Videos of the brawl, stabbing, and body-cam footage from first responders, were again played this afternoon.

When this evidence was played on Monday, the court had to be rapidly cleared when mourning family members got out of their seats and began yelling and swearing at the defendants.

Today the public gallery was quiet, but many shed tears and tissues were passed around the seats.

The last witness, Detective Ryan Cooper, talked jurors through the video evidence.

When asked which strike at Peihopa caused the fatal stab wound, Cooper said: “I believe it was five strikes and I believe it was the last strike”.

The older brother is accused of using the knife, but Peihopa’s blood was also found on the younger brother’s clothing.

The detective said after the brothers were arrested at the police station he was told the older brother – who was 20 at the time – had vomited on arrival.

Cooper spoke to the younger brother at about 2am on 13 June 2021, who said he had had six to eight watermelon Vodka Cruisers during the night, but the youth did not believe he was intoxicated.

Cooper said the younger brother communicated “relatively fine” but breath and blood tests were not conducted at the time.

The jury was also shown videos of the younger defendant – who was 17 at the time – drinking and huffing less than an hour before the fight, near his older brother.

Cooper said huffing what was believed to have been nitrous oxide in the video, “gives them a short feeling of being high”.

Pathologist’s evidence

Earlier today, the jury heard evidence from pathologist Dr Rexson Tse, who examined Peihopa’s body in Auckland.

The stab wound was on the left side of the chest, near the armpit, he said.

Tse said it was 16 centimetres deep, and the wound had “gone through the left lung, it has transected or has separated or divided a major blood vessel called the left pulmonary artery”.

The wound went through to the spine.

Peihopa had a fractured rib, but Tse said this could have partly come from CPR performed.

The victim also had abrasions to his face and left hand and a cut on his left arm.

The jury was also shown the black knife found at the scene, displayed in a case.

The older murder accused is also accused of assault with a weapon and has pleaded not guilty.

The younger brother pleaded guilty to a separate charge of injuring with intent on Monday and was convicted.