The man who fatally beat teenager Eli Holtz at a central Auckland intersection last January has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
The family of slain teen Eli Holtz say they are broken by the death of one of their number - but they have vowed to "reset" and work hard to prevent others feeling their immense pain and heartache.
Eli, 18, died after he was violently assaulted by Myron Felise inJanuary last year.
His mother Kirsten Holtz, her sister Lorr Ramage who is Eli's birth mother, sisters Chanelle and Brooklyn and father Bevan read emotional Victim Impact Statements to the court.
Felise's mother was also permitted to read a statement and said she wished the Holtz family peace and healing.
Flanked by her whānau she took a deep breath and spoke again about the impact of losing Eli so brutally and suddenly.
"This past year for our family has been the hardest we've had to endure," she said.
"The last 13 months have taken an incredible toll on us, mentally, physically, financially and emotionally.
"The ripple effect from this tragedy spans well beyond our whānau and we want to acknowledge the Felise family at this time as well.
"There are no winners through this terrible ordeal… we have lost our son Eli.
"This is the time to reset as a family and we promise to make more contributions to the community to honour Eli and address the issues of violence in Aotearoa."
"It allows us to open up conversations on how we can make our community safer," she said.
Members of the Holtz family also embraced members of the killer's family at court. In court Justice Gerard van Bohemen lambasted Felise for his actions.
Killer Myron Felise. NZ Herald photograph
He revealed Felise was "off your face drunk" when he took to the teenager, having consumed up to 15 shots, 25 ready-to-drink beverages and "several" beers.
Felise had a clear issue with alcohol, he said.
"I have viewed the [CCTV] videotape, it is clear you never felt any threat," he said.
