A jury has delivered a guilty verdict of manslaughter for a 14-year-old boy accused of stabbing another in Dunedin, Otago in New Zealand.
16-year-old Enere John Jnr PoePoe Taana-McLaren was stabbed in the abdomen at the Dunedin Bus Hub on May 23rd last year.
He later died in Dunedin Hospital.
Another teen, who has name suppression, was charged over the stabbing.
He has been on trial in the High Court of Dunedin.
The jury retired on Wednesday to consider the verdict.
After more than two days of deliberations, the verdict was reached this morning, before a packed public gallery, which included family members of both the victim and the defendant.
The jury found the teen not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.
During the trial, the jury heard from the defendant’s defence team that he acted in self-defence, while the Crown argued that he deliberately chased Taana-McLaren and stabbed him.
It also heard from dozens of witnesses and watched CCTV and cellphone video of the incident.
That video showed Taana-McLaren making a comment to the defendant, which led to both boys preparing for a possible fight.
The defendant was seen on video pulling a knife from his bag and then advancing towards Taana-McLaren who kicked him once.
The second swing of the knife saw Taana-McLaren stabbed in his abdomen, with the pair continuing to fight in the middle of the road, and the knife flung further down the street.
Stuff.co.nz
