The family of a man shot dead in a suburban street says they have been “ripped apart” and are serving a “life sentence” following his death.
David Bridgwater, 38, was killed by James Arthur Holder in the early hours of January 4 last year while Holder’s partner, Leanne Maree Crighton, tried to hide evidence connecting him to the murder.
Today, the pair appeared for sentencing in the High Court at Christchurch.
“He was a caring dad and friend to so many, full of life, a big heart, big smile, he had everything ahead of him,” Bridgwater’s mother, Carole Bridgwater, said in a statement read aloud in court.
“You were selfish, you didn’t just kill him, you killed a part of us, took him away from his sons. The hardest part is watching his boys grow up without him.
“You shot an unarmed man and tried to hide it. I hope every single day you remember his face. He will never come home and never see his boys grow up; he deserved so much better.”
She said she would love her son until her “last breath”.
His brother Jason Bridgwater spoke at the hearing through tears, describing how their family had been ripped apart.
“We will carry this for the rest of our lives.
“You acted out of rage and tried to cover it up like a coward; our family will serve a life sentence.
“David was a good man, loved, and he deserved to grow old; we will never forget or forgive.”
Holder was found guilty of murder following a three-week jury trial at the High Court in October.
Crighton was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice the same month.
The trial heard that Bridgwater and Holder did not know each other but had been socialising at Holder’s Christchurch home with mutual friends.
Bridgwater had earlier attended the Juicy Festival in QEII Park and continued partying into the early hours, when things took a turn for the worse at the Aranui address, where Holder lived with Crighton.
Bridgwater had been described as behaving obnoxiously at the house and had been asked several times to leave
He walked out of the property and was followed by Holder, 55.
Bridgwater got into his car and started the engine before an altercation between the men ensued.
Holder shot Bridgwater about 2.15am.
Holder left the scene, driving to an associate’s home and then to Christchurch’s residential red zone, where it is believed he disposed of the .22 calibre gun, which was never recovered.
Police found a spent .22 cartridge beside Bridgwater’s body.
First responders unsuccessfully tried to revive Bridgwater, and he was pronounced dead about 2.43am.
Several evidential items that had been burned were recovered from the Carisbrooke St property when a search warrant was executed a couple of days later.
In the following weeks, police intercepted Holder’s phone calls, and he was arrested and charged on February 2, 2024.
Crighton, 52, was there at the time of the shooting and asked another woman to help her remove a CCTV camera from the house.
The woman attempted to remove the camera, situated on the soffit of the house.
Crighton held a plastic storage box steady while the woman stood on it and tried to take the camera down.
The attempt only resulted in the angle of the camera being moved, and it remained affixed to the house.
Crighton later cancelled her Arlo security camera subscription and deleted the application from her cellphone in an attempt to destroy the video evidence.
However, recovered security camera footage from the property showed people yelling and milling about on the property and road, while cars arrived and left, and people assisted Bridgwater.
The Crown said the plan was for Holder to dispose of the gun and for Crighton to get rid of the security camera.
Holder claimed he shot Bridgwater in self-defence.
At sentencing, Justice Lisa Preston said she was satisfied Holder’s actions from the moment of the shooting were not those of someone acting in self-defence but someone who was angry and acted in the moment.
“As the jury found, you either intended to kill him or cause him likely lethal injury.”
Justice Preston said the intent was evident from the CCTV footage.
“His [Bridgwater’s] family are traumatised. The impact statements tell me he was a man who was full of life.”
Justice Preston sentenced Holder to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 11 years and nine months and Crighton to 16 months’ imprisonment.
Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.