Pair made pact not to kill anyone, jury told

Two men accused of being accomplices in two murders made a pact that no one should die during their robberies, a witness told a jury in the High Court at Auckland yesterday.

Martin Langkilde was giving evidence for the prosecution about conversations in relation to a series of robberies that culminated in the shootings of part-time pizza worker Marcus Doig on May 8 last year and ASB Bank teller John Vaughan a week later.

Facing charges are Joseph Sam Samoa, 28, of Mangere, and William Logan Johansson, 27, of Otara, who are accused of being involved in the murder of Mr Doig and the attempted murder of the pizza parlour owner, John Wilfred Bell.

They are also accused, with Pago Savaiinaea, 27, of Otara, of the murder of Mr Vaughan.

Samoa faces five charges of aggravated robbery. He pleaded guilty to four others at the start of the case and another one during the trial, including the robbery of the pizza parlour.

Johansson faces 12 aggravated robbery charges, Savaiinaea three.

A fourth man, Kenneth Edward Kitiseni, 33, of Manurewa, also faces three aggravated robbery counts.

Mr Langkilde, cross-examined by Steve Bonnar, one of Samoa's lawyers, said his friend Samoa told him that the Pakuranga Pizza Delivery Company robbery was supposed to be an "in-and-out job".

Samoa told him that he and Johansson waited in the car while the gunman, Ese Junior Falealii, went inside.

But Falealii "stuffed up big-time", shooting Mr Doig in the head.

Mr Langkilde said Samoa told him he [Samoa] was going to hell.

Mr Bonnar: "He was a very worried man, wasn't he?"

Mr Langkilde: "Yes, he was."

Mr Bonnar: "Joe [Samoa] said to you in that conversation that he and Willie [Johansson] had made a pact not to kill anyone?"

Mr Langkilde: "Yes, they did."

He said Samoa told him he was "pissed off" with Falealii.

Mr Bonnar: "And, in fact, your impression was that Joe could not believe that Ese had actually shot the guy?"

Mr Langkilde: "We both could not believe that that had happened."

Mr Langkilde was challenged by Mr Bonnar and Kitiseni's lawyer, Roy Wade, over lies he told to police, inconsistencies, mistakes and confusion about who was present during some conversations and what exactly was said.

But in re-examination by Simon Moore, the Crown Solicitor for Auckland, Mr Langkilde said he remembered the conversations, but the timings and placings were fuzzy in his mind.

On Tuesday, Mr Langkilde said that Samoa told him about wanting to set Falealii up in a caravan to be called on when needed. Yesterday he said that Johansson also told him of the caravan proposal.