By ANGELA GREGORY
WHANGAREI - A teenager who tape-recorded himself killing a Northland farm worker will serve at least 13 years in prison.
Yesterday, a jury deliberated for about four hours in the High Court at Whangarei before finding Kerry Anthony Johansen, aged 17, guilty of murder.
The victim, Steven Douglas Mitchell, was found dead with gunshot wounds to his head at his Hukerenui home, 30km north of Whangarei, last May.
The jury had asked for two sections of an audio tape-recording of the events immediately before and after the fatal shot to be replayed.
Because the murder occurred during a home invasion, the law required Justice Salmon to impose a minimum sentence of 13 years.
The judge also remanded Johansen to the High Court at Auckland on March 10 for sentencing on related charges of burglary and conspiring to commit an aggravated robbery, to which Johansen had pleaded guilty.
Johansen shot Mr Mitchell in the side of the head, then stole the 34-year-old's car and planned a supermarket robbery with friends.
The Crown produced in evidence the tape Johansen made of himself walking to Mr Mitchell's home and verbally planning and carrying out the shooting.
The guilty verdict came after a jury in an earlier trial could not decide whether the shooting was accidental or deliberate.
Relatives of Mr Mitchell were relieved at the verdict after sitting through the second seven-day-long trial.
His mother, Shirley Dauphin, had travelled north from Te Aroha and said she found the second trial harder than the first because it had gone into "more detailed and gory things."
She had been surprised and angry when the first jury failed to find Johansen guilty.
Mrs Dauphin said she and her husband would go to the pub and have a beer for their son.
Her daughter, Deborah Pyke, said she was now an only child.
"I haven't got a brother, and my daughters don't have an uncle. We all feel devastated."
The family saw no sign of remorse from Johansen, who remained impassive throughout the trial.
They were disgusted with the T-shirt Johansen wore with writing on the back reading: "A Christmas wish, somebody's daughter, somebody's son."
Mrs Pyke said it was insensitive given their loss, like a "slap in the face."
Johansen's lawyer, Arthur Fairley, said his client and family wanted to offer their condolences to Mr Mitchell's family for their loss.
Mr Fairley said Johansen never denied causing the farm worker's death, and knew a manslaughter verdict would still attract a significant custodial sentence.
Justice Salmon told the jury the key issue was Johansen's intent when he pulled the trigger.
The Crown had said that Johansen planned the murder, test-fired the gun and then shot Mr Mitchell at close range.
The defence had argued that the gun went off accidentally, with the shot nearly missing Mr Mitchell.
Audio-tape death murder says jury
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