Man guilty of murdering former All Black’s cousin Declan Laverty in Darwin

He was an Aussie lad with a Kiwi dad and an All Black in the family, so it was fitting those who loved Declan Laverty chose All Blacks regalia to wear as jurors in a Darwin court this week found a man guilty of his murder.

Laverty, 20, was stabbed to death while working at Darwin’s Airport Tavern BWS bottle store in March last year, sending his mum Samara Laverty and Lower Hutt-born dad Damian Crook texts to say he loved them as he succumbed to his wounds.

On Thursday, after a Northern Territory Supreme Court jury found 20-year-old Keith Kerinauia guilty of Laverty’s murder, his mum, sister Bridget Laverty and paternal aunt Angela Carey emerged from court wearing All Blacks t-shirts with large silver ferns across their chests.

“He didn’t deserve this, he was just a 20-year-old kid at work. And for that, he died”, Samara Laverty told reporters.

She was “so relieved” justice had been served, but one thing she had needed to know from the 10-day trial was that her son hadn’t suffered, and she now knew that wasn’t the case.

“Listening to that last 000 [emergency] call, he not only suffered but he died an agonising death.”

Darwin murder victim Declan Laverty loved animals, music, AFL and the All Blacks - his favourite player was Damian McKenzie because he was "small and wiry but with a massive heart" just like him, Laverty's Kiwi dad Damian Crook said.

Samara Laverty couldn’t be contacted yesterday, but Laverty’s dad – a cousin of former All Black Luke Romano – told the Herald the guilty verdict was the right decision.

“I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else. This means no one has to feel how we as a family feel … if no one else has to go through that then, good result.”

Crook, who has suffered three heart attacks since his son’s death and is awaiting heart surgery, stayed away from the trial on his doctor’s advice, he said.

But he may go to the sentencing on Friday, where Kerinauia faces a mandatory life sentence with 20 years minimum non-parole under Northern Territory law. Defence lawyer Jon Tippett KC has not ruled out an appeal for his client, who he’d argued acted in self-defence.

There were angry scenes inside and outside the Supreme Court after the verdict, with security locking down the court. One family member drove erratically across the Darwin courthouse’s lawns, while another yelled “You racist mother****ers”, AAP reported.

Darwin-based Kiwi Damian Crook, right, and his Australian-born kids Declan Laverty, left, and Bridget Laverty, when the children were young. Declan was murdered aged 20 while working at a bottle store in Darwin in March 2023. His killer was found guilty in court in Darwin on Thursday.

The high-profile case has been the catalyst for several changes to alcohol sale and weapons offences laws in the Northern Territory.

Crook instead followed the trial through media, which detailed the final night of his son’s life after he left the home he shared with his dad for what should have been an ordinary shift at work.

‘I love you, being stabbed’

Jurors were told the two men got into a verbal altercation before Kerinauia left the bottle shop, later returning with a knife, AAP reported.

In CCTV footage shown to the court, Laverty can be seen lunging at Kerinauia with a knife, which his mother had told him to “carry for protection”. Kerinauia then fatally stabbed Laverty in the chest.

He died in the back room at his work shortly after 9pm, texting his mother one last time: “I love you, being stabbed”.

Outside court, Samara Laverty broke down as she described feeling “so much guilt” for encouraging him to carry a knife.

“It wasn’t so much that I wanted him to carry a knife, I just wanted him to be safe … [but] I’m so glad that we’ve been vindicated [by the jury’s decision], and it would’ve happened that night no matter what he had in his pocket.”

Crook - who also received a final, ‘I love you’ text from his dying son – also had to live with his encouragement to his son to stick with a job “he hated” until he found another.

Laverty had been held up by someone with a screwdriver a couple of weeks before his murder, but was also dealing with daily abuse from customers, Crook said.

“I said to him, ‘It’s always easier to find a job while you’ve got one, so stay where you are and something will come along and then you can leave’, and he actually had almost job offers ready to go.”

Declan Laverty was a talented AFL player as a youngster, his Kiwi dad says. Laverty was murdered aged 20 while working in a bottle store in Darwin last year.

Laverty moved to the Northern Territory capital 18 months before his death to study information technology, enjoyed writing rap songs and making music videos, and loved animals.

He was also a talented AFL player in his youth, Crook said.

“Richmond Tigers, one of the best AFL clubs in Australia, that was his team. He went down there a few times, and when he was younger he was on a scholarship to play AFL.

“His physique was exactly like Damian McKenzie, small and wiry but with a massive heart.”

Australian boy Declan Laverty - with his sister Bridget Laverty - grew up wearing All Blacks and other New Zealand-connected clothing sent across the Tasman by his Kiwi relatives, his dad Damian Crook said. Laverty, 20, was stabbed to death while working in a Darwin bottle store in March 2023. A man was found guilty of his murder this week.

He was also an All Blacks fan – with star back McKenzie his favourite player – and had a wardrobe of All Blacks gear all his life thanks to family in New Zealand.

“Oh absolutely he was [an All Blacks fan], because he’s got a Kiwi dad, and my cousin Luke Romano used to play for the All Blacks. My dad’s sister is his mum.”

‘I celebrated his 21st birthday without him’

Fifteen months on from the tragedy, Crook was “struggling”.

The hardest moments were marking his son’s 21st birthday in February, and the first Father’s Day since the murder.

“I’m very lucky that I’ve had a great support network from my colleagues, and my friends here.”

His son Declan Laverty will never marry, have children or celebrate another birthday after he was murdered aged 20 while working in a Darwin bottle store, Laverty's Kiwi dad Damian Crook said.

The father-of-four had sympathy for Kerinauia’s family “losing a child” too - but their heartache wasn’t forever.

“They can still see him, and talk to him … he’s taken that right off us – I can’t say [to Declan] I love him. If this guy gets 20 years, he’s gonna be out by the time he’s 40. That’s young enough to still have a life.

“We’re never going to see grandchildren from Declan or see him get married and all those little goals. [In February] I celebrated his 21st birthday without him - you shouldn’t have to do that.”

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.