WARNING: This article discusses graphic violence and may be upsetting to some readers.
Two brothers driven by addiction set out to rob a local store for drug money - but their plan spiralled into deadly violence when an innocent man intervened.
As the brothers loitered around the store’s ATM machine, Shayden Perkinson stepped in concerned for the safety of his female cousin who was wanting to withdraw money.
Moments later he lay dying on the petrol station forecourt from a violent knife attack.
Now, Samson Manuel must serve at least 10.5 years in prison for murder, while his older brother Bronson Manuel was sentenced to 18 months for his role in the fatal attack.
The brothers appeared for sentencing in the High Court at Whangārei on Tuesday before Justice Ian Gault and a courtroom of Perkinson’s whānau.
The sentencing came more than two years after Perkinson’s death in April 2023.
The brothers initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.
But on the morning their trial was due to start in February this year, Samson, 26, pleaded guilty to murder and Bronson, 32, pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to injure.
Samson’s lawyer Ron Mansfield KC submitted one of the delays to the plea change was because his client was insistent he did not want his brother to go down for the murder he committed.
The court heard the brothers had been drinking and smoking methamphetamine and cannabis in the hours leading up to the death.
Needing more meth, they came up with a plan to rob the Gull Service Station in Raumanga, Whangārei and headed to the site, heads covered in white home-made bandannas.
Unbeknown to Bronson, Samson had grabbed a large kitchen knife and hidden it in his jacket sleeve.
Bronson was leaning against the ATM machine with his face covered when Perkinson pulled up in a vehicle with two whānau members about 9.35pm.
Perkinson’s cousin got out of the vehicle to use the ATM but noticed Bronson and decided not to get cash out, after Bronson said something to her she could not make out.
Concerned for his cousin’s safety, Perkinson got out of the vehicle and stood by her, when Samson appeared from around the corner.
Perkinson asked them to leave his cousin alone but the two brothers began walking towards him.
Bronson struck Perkinson once in the face, prompting him to raise his hands in a defensive stance before backing away. But, Bronson pressed forward and a scuffle occurred.
Samson then removed the knife from his sleeve, came up behind his brother and raised the knife up. He then stabbed Perkinson to the chest.
The knife passed through two ribs, the pericardial sac, the heart and lower right lung.
At the time, Bronson’s head was turned and he did not see the stabbing occur.
As Perkinson stumbled backwards he managed to pull Samson’s face covering off.
Bronson then held Perkinson around the upper body, and after putting his face covering back on, Samson punched Perkinson in the chest six times.
The victim fell to the ground and Bronson dragged his lifeless body by the hoodie and dropped him face down on the station forecourt.
An associate of Perkinson’s, who was still in the car, drove the vehicle at speed towards Bronson, propelling him into the air.
This infuriated Samson who inflicted one last blow, a kick to Perkinson’s head.
Samson then approached a random person at the gas station and demanded they take them to a nearby address.
Perkinson died at the scene.
The brothers went on the run and were located in South Auckland almost a week later.
Four members of Perkinson’s whānau read victim impact statements to the court, detailing the devastating loss they felt for their loved one whom they described as “a hero”.
A sister revealed their relationship was strained at the time of his death and she was now left with regret for things left unsaid.
“I can’t tell you the last words I spoke to Shayden at the time of his death, we weren’t talking. But know I am heartbroken because I can’t tell him I’m sorry, I can’t tell him I love him.
“The heartache and regret lives rent free in my mind,” she said.
Another woman put a question to the brothers, who were both staring straight ahead with Samson clutching a Bible.
“If you could turn back time, would you?”
The victim’s whānau acknowledged Perkinson had a history and was not perfect but he had been working hard to turn his life around.
He was described as fun, cool, athletic, and quick on his feet with a laugh distinctly recognisable from a distance.
“His laugh would light up the whole room and you just knew it was him, his jokes sometimes weren’t even funny but he thought they were,” another sister said.
“His laugh was cherished by everyone.
“Forever 25, our hero.”
The brothers’ chaotic upbringing was revealed in court with Samson‘s criminal career dating back to age 13, living on the streets in Australia and addicted to solvents.
From a family of eight children, they were both exposed to violence, gang culture and substance abuse from an early age.
Samson spent the majority of his youth in and out of Australian juvenile detention centres and was eventually deported back to New Zealand in 2018 under the 501 scheme.
His violent offending continued in New Zealand and in 2020 he stabbed his neighbour and also has a conviction for brandishing a knife at a police officer on another occasion.
A diagnosed schizophrenic, it was noted when he believed he was stable, he would stop taking his medication and psychiatrist reports stated he was likely in a state of “disease of the mind” at the time.
Bronson had a similar life, leaving school at 12 and living with vision loss after a violent beating.
Throughout his life he relied heavily on alcohol and had sustained stimulant use disorder.
At the time of the murder, Bronson was the primary caregiver for their grandfather who required round-the-clock care.
Justice Gault acknowledged the victims’ immeasurable grief and any sentence imposed could not undo the harm done.
“I hope you two, Bronson and Samson Manuel, appreciate their profound and lasting pain,” Justice Gault said.
Justice Gault considered the violence was significant and gratuitous given the kick to the head while the victim was unconscious.
“The outcome was, the worst possible.”
Samson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 10.5 years.
Bronson’s sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment upset many of Perkinson’s whānau with one yelling out “F*** you” as she stormed out of the court.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.