Crystal-Alizae Emery,19, and her sister Aria-Sativa Kapene,24. The two sisters died instantly in a three vehicle car crash in November 2024. Photo / Supplied
Crystal-Alizae Emery,19, and her sister Aria-Sativa Kapene,24. The two sisters died instantly in a three vehicle car crash in November 2024. Photo / Supplied
A 55 year old man has been charged with four crimes including reckless driving and excess breath alcohol causing death.
The sisters, aged 24 and 19, were the carers for their bedridden mother.
The family of two Auckland sisters killed in a three-vehicle crash in November want drink drivers to understand the depths of their devastation.
Gloria Emery, 34 is grieving for her nieces Aria-Sativa Kapene, 24, and Crystal-Alizae Emery, 19, who died instantly in the crash at an intersection in Takanini last November.
Emery claimsher nieces’ car was rear-ended and shunted into a milk tanker. She said Kapene was so severely injured that she had to be identified by dental records.
Kapene’s boyfriend Kimiora Hancy, a passenger in the front seat, was critically injured and survived. “Kimi has started walking but he’s lost the love of his life,” she said.
Aria-Sativa Kapene, 24, and her sister Crystal-Alizae Emery, 19, died instantly when their car was rear-ended in a car crash in November 2024. Photo / Supplied.
In her only interview, Emery told the Herald she was like a second mother to her nieces.
She said the girls were carers for their bedridden mother Philomena, who was diagnosed with encephalitis after their baby brother was born seven years ago.
Emery described Kapene as a social butterfly with a quirky sense of humour.
Just 24, she already held licences to drive cars, motorcycles and forklifts, and worked for Cater Plus cooking meals for the Woolworths distribution warehouse.
Crystal-Alizae Emery, 19, and her sister Aria-Sativa Kapene, 24, were caregivers for their bedridden mother. Photo / Supplied.
Her younger sister, Crystal-Alizae Emery had recently celebrated her 19th birthday and qualified as a barista. She dreamed of becoming a baker.
“They had a great sisterly bond and cared for each other ... they were planning to buy a food truck and build a business together” Emery told the Herald.
“They catered for our family functions: Aria would do the cooking and Crystal baked dainty cakes and chocolates, she loved delicate things.
“We feel robbed the girls have been taken from us. Crystal never got to find love, and they both never got the chance to have their own families,” Emery said.
Aria-Sativa Kapene could only be identified through dental records. Photo / Supplied.
The last time Emery saw her youngest niece was through a glass panel at Auckland Hospital’s mortuary, she said.
“Their injuries were so severe we had to have closed coffins. We never got to hug them, dress them or properly say goodbye. I asked to see Aria and they said no. It broke me, it really broke me. I can’t accept they have gone” Emery told the Herald.
According to the family, the male driver who has name suppression had allegedly been drinking and “rammed” into the back of the Toyota Corolla Aria was driving.
Gloria Emery’s partner Dexter Leovao told the Herald the driver of that second car was a “piece of s**t and a coward”.
“He should have known better, be a man and take responsibility. Our baby girls didn’t choose to die,” he said.
Before the crash, Hancy and the sisters had spent the afternoon watching older brother Lazarus play rugby for his club in Papakura. After celebrating the team’s win, the three headed home.
Around 12.25am Kapene left the house to drive her boyfriend home. He sat in the front, beside her. Her sister was in the back on the driver’s side - they all wore safety belts.
Aria-Sativa Kapene, 24 and her sister Crystal-Alizae Emery died instantly in the crash and Kapene's boyfriend was critically injured. Photo / Supplied.
While Kapene was waiting at the traffic lights to turn left, Emery told the Herald, the second car came from behind and smashed into the back of her.
Emery claims the police later told her the driver of the second car had been drinking and was over the legal limit.
“Photos of the crash spoke for themselves,” Emery said, showing photos of the car smashed from behind, then crushed by a milk tanker in front.
“They didn’t stand a chance” she said.
Crystal-Alizae Emery, 19, and her sister Aria-Sativa Kapene, 24. Their aunty Gloria Emery claims they didn't stand a chance when a car suddenly rammed into them from behind. Photo / Supplied.
Last month, the 55-year-old driver of the second car appeared in the Papakura District Court, and an altercation occurred when the family realised they were seated next to him.
The man faces four charges including reckless driving and excess breath alcohol causing death.
“The police told me he had been arrested and was in custody but here he was sitting beside us the whole time” Emery claimed.
“We believe the police have misled us and now they’re not even communicating with us. The driver didn’t say sorry or show any remorse, it was f***ed up. It was insensitive and we felt disrespected,” she said.
Memorial site for Crystal-Alizae Emery and her sister Aria-Sativa Kapene. They were killed in a three-vehicle car crash in Auckland in November. A 55-yer-old man was charged with reckless driving and excess breath alcohol causing death. Photo / Supplied.
In a statement, Detective Senior Sergeant Jason McIntosh from the Tamaki Makaurau Serious Crash Unit said “The man was arrested and charged by police on April 4 then released on bail.
“Police had not misled the family, and they were never advised the man was remanded in custody. Police have continued to act professionally and continued to communicate with the family following this tragic event. The last contact was in the last fortnight.”
The driver will reappear at the Manukau District Court on May 22.
Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist who won Best Documentary at the Voyager Media Awards in 2022. She worked for the Herald on Sunday from 2007-2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ’s 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.
