One guilty of liquor store owner's murder

Navtej Singh. Photo / Supplied

The man who fired the fatal shot during the armed robbery of Navtej Singh's liquor shop has been found guilty in the High Court at Auckland today.

The verdict came after 20 hours of deliberations.

Six men, Anitilea Chan Kee, Myron Felise, Jason Naseri, Tino Felise, Walter McCarthy and Eti Filoa were accused of murdering Mr Singh during a robbery of his Manurewa liquor store on June 7, 2008.

Anitilea Chan Kee was the gunman, but said he didn't mean to fire the shot that killed Mr Singh.

The others were charged with murder because police said they were party to the killing.

They have all been found not guilty of murder or manslaughter.

Myron Felise and Jason Naseri joined Chan Kee in the store while the others remained outside.

Tino Felise, Filoa and McCarthy were also on trial for aggravated robbery. The other accused had earlier pleaded guilty to that offence.

Felise, Filoa and McCarthy were found guilty of aggravated robbery.

A seventh man, Mefiposeta Chan Kee, was charged only with being an accessory after the fact. He was found not guilty of being accessory.

Anitilea Chan Kee will appear for sentencing on April 23.

Daljit Singh, a close family friend of Navtej Singh, said they respect the decision of the jury and the New Zealand justice system "but are shocked that three of them could go into the store with the accused and be found not guilty."

He said Navtej's wife was still haunted by the memory of what happened but would be in court for sentencing on April 23.

On Monday, Justice Graham Lang advised the jury during his summary of the trial that they should deal with the accused one by one, because it was effectively seven trials in one.

He warned them to take care with what witnesses claimed they had seen or heard at a party before the robbery because it was a moving and dynamic scene with people coming and going at different times.

The others were charged with Mr Singh's murder because the Crown said they were a party to the killing.

An essential element prosecutors had to prove for them to be found guilty of the murder charge was they knew there was a loaded firearm being taken to the liquor store and knew it was likely it could be used by Chan Kee to carry out the robbery.

Police are not commenting on the outcome of the case. Counties Manukau district commander Mike Bush it was inappropriate for police to comment on judicial outcomes.

"With regards to media queries around the sequence of events on the evening concerned, Police cannot comment at this stage as these circumstances are subject of an IPCA investigation - the results of which will be delivered by the IPCA," Mr Bush said.