24 May 2023

Two men guilty of manslaughter over Christchurch teen's shooting

From Checkpoint, 5:17 pm on 24 May 2023

Family members sobbed in court as two men were found guilty of manslaughter after a Christchurch teen was shot dead at a party.

Daniel Nelson Sparks and Joshua David Craig Smith stood trial, charged with the murder of 16-year-old Connor Whitehead in November 2021.

The pair had pleaded not guilty to the killings and opted not to give evidence during the trial.

After a two week trial and nearly two days of deliberation a jury returned the verdicts this afternoon Adam Burns was at the High Court in Christchurch talks to Susana Lei'ataua.