The man who shot and killed Constable Matthew Hunt, and attempted to kill his colleague Constable David Goldfinch, has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum non parole period of 27 years.
Eli Epiha shot at the two police officers fourteen times with a military-style semi-automatic rifle, after speeding away from their parked police car and crashing on Massey's Reynella Dr in June last year.
The 25-year-old wounded Constable Goldfinch with four bullets, striking his hip, leg, and boot, before Goldfinch managed to get away.
Constable Matthew Hunt, 28, was shot four times, and died at the scene.
In July, Epiha pleaded guilty to the murder of Matt Hunt, as well as a charge of dangerous driving causing injury to a member of the public, who was hurt when Epiha crashed his car on the street.
But he denied the attempted murder of Constable Goldfinch.
Eleven jurors found him guilty by a majority verdict after eleven and a half hours of deliberations at the end of a two week trial.
On Friday, at Eli Epiha's sentencing, Constable Matt Hunt's mother Diane read her victim impact statement directly to her son's killer, turning the lectern to look in his direction.
"I stand before you to represent my son and all I see in front of me is a coward," she said.
My son was unarmed, and running away from you, when you shot him four times in his back,"
"You never pointed your gun at any other people in the street that day, your targets were only the two police officers."
Diane Hunt spoke about the difficulty of sitting through an eleven day trial, and hearing Eli Epiha give evidence in his own defence.
When he recounted his version of the events of that day, Epiha had described the murder as ''unintentional'' and said he had thought about helping Matt Hunt after he shot him, but didn't.
''You apologised through your lawyer, I have never heard anything so vacuous, insulting, and self serving,'' Diane Hunt said on Friday.
"I will never ever forgive you. To be honest, I never think of you."
Police respond
In a statement following the court appearance, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said Epiha's sentence was welcomed.
"We hope it brings some relief for Matt’s friends and family, as well as Constable Goldfinch and Police staff across New Zealand, but it does not change the devastating outcome of what occurred on 19 June 2020," Coster said.
Epiha's act has "changed many people's lives forever," the commissioner said.
"Matt’s family, his friends, his workmates. My staff will forever remember the deep impact of what occurred and the horrific manner in which it occurred.
"Aged just 28, Constable Hunt had a promising Police career and his whole life ahead of him until his life was so cruelly taken.
"A life taken in just a few moments, has left behind family, friends and colleagues who still feel deep pain and grief."
He doubts there has been a single officer not impacted by the tragic events or thought "that could have been me".
"I want to acknowledge the incredible strength, and dignity demonstrated by Matt’s family – particularly his mum Diane and sister Ellie – and his friends, as they have had to sit through a trial with quite shocking and detailed evidence of the callous way that Matt was shot, and casually left to die by the offender. We continue to stand with Diane and Ellie, and they will always be part of our police family.
"For Constable Goldfinch, I know he carries a particular burden knowing he will forever carry with him the awful memories of that day.
"NZ Police and in particular Waitematā District has wrapped support around Dave and will continue to do so as we work to support and transition him back into operational Policing. I am proud of his determination to do so and we are here to support him."
Coster also acknowledged the innocent member of the public caught up in the incident as well as staff at the Orewa Police Station who had worked closely with Hunt.
"Matt used to always arrive before work to do his paperwork and his friends have talked about still expecting to see him there when they arrive.
"Seeing his locker, the files that he worked on and the photograph of him in the hallway is a constant reminder of not only his absence, but also of the way he died while on duty and protecting his community.
"We wish to thank the many members of the public who laid flowers, sent cards and simply said ‘sorry for your loss’ in the days and weeks after the attack.
"We thank our community once again for the incredible support they have shown Matt’s family following his death and the support for Dave and our Police staff."
The commissioner said the attack was a "bitter reminder" of the dangers of policing, but that every officer had a right to return home safely.
"Our staff safety remains my number one focus as I never wish to see this repeated.
"We will ensure that Matt’s legacy will never be forgotten, and his memory will always live on in the hearts of his Police family.
"Today, I ask our community to not remember the deliberate, and awful acts of one individual, but to honour Matt’s life by remembering the great work he did, and that done by police all around the country."
Natalie Bracken
Natalie Bracken stood trial alongside Epiha, for her role in the events of June 19 2020.
The 31-year-old was initially charged with being an accessory after the fact to Matt Hunt's murder, but that was ammended to a lesser charge of being an accessory after the fact of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The jury found Bracken guilty of helping Eli Epiha flee, by driving him from the scene of the shooting to an associate's property to enable him to avoid arrest.
Cell phone video taken by a member of the public, and played at the trial, showed Bracken running to get the keys to a car that was parked on Massey's Reynella Drive, opening the door to the vehicle, and driving off with Epiha in the passenger seat.
In a police interview following her arrest, Bracken said she didn't know Epiha, and had felt threatened by him.
She was sentenced to 12 months in prison in October.
