Relatives have told a convicted murderer of their pain as he was sentenced to life in prison for murdering two men at an Auckland pawn shop.
Zarn Tarapata, 26, armed himself with a knife and left his kids in the car before walking into the Takanini Pawn shop where his partner worked.
While she talked to a customer, he walked into the private area behind the shop where Paul Fanning and Paul Matthews were eating their lunch.
Within two minutes and 42 seconds, Tarapata had stabbed both men multiple times, and the pair died quickly.
Today he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.
A statement from Mr Matthew's eldest sister, Julia Matiu, was read in court by a victim support advisor.
She spoke of the pain of imagining her brother's last moments.
"He was a big man and imagining him struggling to get up and calling for help was too much for me to bear," Ms Matthews said.
"Calling out for help, when he had helped others all his life, and no one going to help him just made me feel sick."
She said her brother was a gentle giant and the world was worse off without him.
Another sister, Rita Matthews, echoed Ms Maitu's sentiments, saying her brother was awesome.
"You of all people had a heart of a lion. You were a man who had the strength to pick someone up when they fell. And I used to laugh at you when you got angry. You were the kind of man who loved unconditionally, one of the good ones. You lived your life to the fullest and with no regrets because that was the kind of man you were."
A third sister, Kathy Waipouri, directed her comments straight at Tarapata, who had his head bowed in the dock.
"You get to live, to see your family. You get to live to see your parents. You get to live, Zarn. You get to live to face the consequences of your actions."
Mr Fanning's daughter, Jenny Squire, also told Tarapata that his life carried on while his victims' were cut short.
At his trial in May, Tarapata's lawyer, Bruce Hesketh, said his client had been suffering a psychotic episode, due to schizophrenia, when he killed the men.
The jury disagreed but today Mr Hesketh asked for time to be taken off his client's sentence to reflect his mental health issues.
The Crown said Tarapata was acting out of delusional jealousy and irrational anger, and was fixated on the idea that any number of men were sleeping with his partner.
Prosecutor Josh Shaw told Justice Andrews the attack on the two men took place in the private area of the shop and was akin to a home invasion.
Justice Andrews took time off the sentence for remorse and Tarapata's mental illness, but she also spoke of the disturbing factors of the crime.
"Nothing that Mr Fanning or Mr Matthews did in anyway gave you any reason to do these terrible acts. Your actions were completely unprovoked."
She said Tarapata stabbed Mr Mathews 15 times and Mr Fanning seven times, and both men were found dead on the floor of the lunch room.
