Almost five years have passed since Robert Nelson's death - but police are yet to make any arrests over his murder. Here his former girlfriend relives the night thugs invaded her home and took Robert's life, in a hope to help bring justice to his family.
It was just after midnight when Robert Nelson and his girlfriend Kahlee Marfell got back to her family home in Hamilton on July 8, 2018.
The then-20-year-old was on the phone to her best friend when there was a startling knock at the door.
Marfell opened it up to see three people standing on her doorstep. One of them asked to speak to "Mark". They were referring to Mark ‘Griff’ Griffiths, her dad, a once long-standing member of the Mongrel Mob chapter.
She knew something wasn't right almost immediately.
Kahlee told 1News: "No one uses my dad's real name. If you know him, you know him as 'Griff', and where he is.
"I said 'I'll go ask if anyone's name is Mark' and when I went to go and shut the door, that's when the first bullet went off and they shot me straight in the arm.
"I looked down and I just screamed and ran down to my room."
With blood rolling down her arm, she made it to where Robert was. She told him to get out the window, but he refused to go, determined to talk it out with the three random people who had just raided the home.
When Kahlee was shot at again, Robert jumped in front of her. One bullet hit her leg, shattering her femur; another fatally striking her partner in the heart.
"He was my lifeline," she said.
The shooters turned their attention to the door when Kahlee's young cousin, aged 17 at the time, tried to see what was going on. She says they sprayed bullets toward him, eight connecting with various parts of his body.
"I just heard this body drop to the floor. They would have thought he was my dad," Kahlee said.
"He got shot in the stomach, shot in the legs, he got shot arms, he got shot everywhere, even in his mouth."
The young man survived, but today lives without sight in one eye and has had to have multiple reconstruction surgeries.
Marfell's life has never been the same too.
She said: "When I hear a big bang, I freak out. I am emotionally unavailable to everything. I don't trust anyone".
"After I lost the love of my life, that was it. He was my everything. I miss him so much.
"It's crazy to think I made it out alive. I'm doing everything in my power to make sure I can live for Rob."
Nelson had no links to gangs, with police previously saying he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
As the five-year anniversary approaches since losing her "rock", Kahlee is joining Robert's sister Erin in speaking out about her loss in the hope of encouraging police to keep the attention on the investigation.
She said: "They need to find more evidence for them to make an arrest."
There's also the possibility someone who knows something might come forward.
Kahlee’s own recollection of that night is foggy.
"I can't remember faces, I can't remember anything, but I always hear their voices,” she said.
Over the years, the community has been rife with speculation and accusations it was other gangs or even a fellow Mongrel Mob member carrying out an inside job – but she won’t believe any rumours until police know for sure.
"My brain - as soon as it happened - mentally shut everything like that off," Kahlee said. "I want them to come forward. It's been five years."
At some point, Griffiths came out during the terrifying ordeal, Kahlee says, and tried to chase the gun-wielding offenders away - but Kahlee said she yelled at him to get back inside and help call emergency services.
"My dad didn't know that this was happening. He was really sick that night, really sick, and everybody blamed him for it.
"The people that came into my house, they're f**king cowards. They shot at kids."
Robert's sister Erin desperately wants those responsible to be held to account, accepting how her brother was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time.
She said told 1News: “My parents don't know who killed their child. I just don't think you can repair a hole if you don't know what caused it in the first place.
"How are you supposed to forgive someone that has no face? You can't even humanise them or sympathise with them or understand what was going on if you don't even know who they were.
"I would like to forgive, I will never forget but I'd like to move forward and go 'OK, there's some justice'."
In a statement to 1News, Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Neilson said police are continuing to investigate Robert's death.
He said: "A number of people have been spoken to as part of this complex investigation and Police would still like to hear from anyone who has information relating to Robert's death.
“We are unable to comment further at this time for operational reasons and to avoid jeopardising an on-going investigation.
“All pieces of information provided to police have been assessed and followed up further as required.
“We acknowledge this has been an extremely difficult nearly five years for his family, but we have assured them that police remain committed to holding to account the person or persons responsible for Robert's death.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 105 quoting file number 180708/5778.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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