Rita Croskery, the mother of slain pizza delivery man Michael Choy, gave the young people accused of his murder a long, cold stare in court yesterday.
Seven people aged 13 to 17 are on trial in the High Court at Auckland.
Six are accused of the 40-year-old Pizza Hut delivery worker's murder
on September 12 last year.
The Crown says he was lured into an ambush.
They allegedly ordered a takeaway to be delivered to a dimly lit address in Chantal Place, Papakura, so that they could attack him and steal his food orders and cash.
Mr Choy died in hospital after being hit on the head with a baseball bat.
Four are accused of robbing him, one having already pleaded guilty.
Five are charged with the attempted robbery of a KFC delivery worker using the same trick three days earlier.
Mrs Croskery told Crown prosecutor Christine Gordon of her son's early days: school in Papakura, then King's and finally back to Papakura for his sixth form.
He was a happy, caring person, she said, who never wanted to cause any problems for anyone.
Earlier the jury heard from an associate of the accused, 22-year-old Tekero Tahura, who told of being in a house in Fairdale Ave the morning after the attack on Mr Choy when all the accused were present - one in his school uniform.
Mr Tahura said he had earlier refused to be part of a "hit" on a delivery driver.
He told Crown counsel Steve Bonnar that there were pizzas heating up in the oven and Pizza Hut boxes in the kitchen of the house.
Mr Tahura said one of the accused said they had "just hit" the pizza man.
Whatarangi Rawiri, one of the accused, had allegedly pretended that she could not find her money because it was dark and Mr Choy went to get a torch.
The witness told the jury that one of them said a 15-year-old, who like four others has name suppression, hit Mr Choy with the bat.
At first they were loud and talking excitedly, Mr Tahura said, but when they saw police cars in the street outside the house their mood turned to worry.
Mr Tahura said that he was asked to get rid of the pizza boxes in his car but refused.
The trial, before Justice Robert Fisher, continues today.
