The family of a Christchurch teenager fatally shot at a party in November 2021 have spoken outside court after two men were today found guilty of manslaughter.
Connor Whitehead, 16, was shot after attending a birthday party in the suburb of Casebrook.
Daniel Sparks and Joshua Smith were today found guilty of manslaughter by a jury after a two-and-a-half-week trial at the High Court in Christchurch.
They were found not guilty of his murder.
The pair had attended the party after receiving a call for help from Sparks’ son.
It was Smith who had fired the fatal shot with a sawed-off Stevens shotgun.
Connor's family, who were in the public gallery throughout the trial, cried as the verdicts were read out.
Outside court, Connor's father James Whitehead - surrounded by Connor's mother Cheryl Merrins and the teenager's siblings - told reporters: "It’s been the worst time of our lives losing our boy, losing Connor."
"Having to relive that time over the past few weeks has been hell for us," he said, becoming emotional.
Merrins could be seen holding back tears as she clutched a childhood photo of her son.
He said of today's verdict: "It is what it is."
"At the end of the day, this may… This may sound bad I don’t care. I don’t care what happens to those men.
"There is no victory here for us today. We don’t get our Connor back when we go home so who cares?
"We want to move forward and we want to love our loved ones, to remember Connor – remember our boy, remember our friend. Forever Connor."
Whitehead said he and his loved ones "don’t have to think about those guys anymore – they’ve been dealt with, it’s out of our hands".
"But from the start, we’ve been here for Connor and that’s the way it’s always gonna be.
"We’ve come together as family and friends, come together as family, and we’re here for Connor."
He said had he still been alive, "Connor would say ‘shame, oh shame. Dad, don’t do this’, but that’s Connor, you know?
"He’s a teenage boy but I know he’s proud of us – he’s proud of his mum and his sisters and his big brother and I hope he’s proud of me.
"We love you, Connor."
"Forever," Merrins added.
"We miss you. Forever, Connor," he said.
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