Teen jailed for king-hit killing
Out for a night with friends, an Invercargill teenager never thought his single punch would kill a man.
Tyrone John Hugh Palmer was 16 when he ‘‘blindsided’’ Matthew Coley, 40, with a punch to the head outside an Invercargill Night ‘n Day store in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, April 9. Coley died in hospital as a result of his injuries from the punch.
Now 17, Palmer has been sentenced to 22 months’ jail for manslaughter in the Invercargill High Court. He had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge.
Justice Nicholas Davidson, while sentencing Palmer, said there was ‘‘tragedy on all sides’’.
In an instant, Coley’s life, and those of his friends and family changed forever, he said.
‘‘Yours did too,’’ the judge told Palmer. ‘‘This was not a fight that went wrong. This was a wanton act of violence.’’
On Friday, April 8, Palmer had been with friends and had used LSD, cannabis, and alcohol.
Early Saturday morning, Palmer and the group had gone into the inner city, when they saw another man speaking with Coley.
Palmer had later behaved aggressively towards the other man, Justice Davidson said.
Palmer had been ‘‘spoiling for some sort of confrontation,’’ the judge said, but he also accepted ‘‘it was not in your mind that it would come to this’’.
About 1.45am the group had come across Coley again, who became involved in an argument with some of the young women in Palmer’s group.
The group followed Coley to the Night ‘ n Day store, one of the females pushed him, and another pushed him again so he was outside the store.
‘‘A young woman then punched him or pushed him in the chest . . . you and the group stood around him,’’ Justice Davidson said.
Coley had not been confrontational, and had his hands by his sides.
Palmer punched him once, and Coley fell back on the Night n Day store window and to the ground, Justice Davidson said. ‘‘You clearly blindsided him’’
Coley died as a result of the blunt force injury, Justice Davidson said.
‘‘His injuries were unsurvivable . . . his death came from the one punch you delivered. This stark summary does not allow really for much elaboration by me.’’
Crown prosecutor Riki Donnelly called for Palmer to be jailed.
There had been an unprovoked attack to the head, thrown with considerable force, and Palmer had shown ‘‘aggressive conduct’’ earlier that night, Donnelly said.
Coley was intoxicated, vulnerable, and had been surrounded by Palmer and his associates, he said.
After he struck Coley, Palmer had run from the scene and was heard saying he had just ‘‘king hit someone’’, Donnelly told the court.
But Palmer’s lawyer Hugo Young called for a sentence of home detention.
Palmer had been ignorant of the fact that one punch can kill, he said.
A letter to Coley’s family written by Palmer says ‘‘I’m never going to forget or forgive myself for what I did to your family,’’ Young said.
But Justice Davidson said the sentence must be a deterrent, in particular to other young people, to make anyone aware ‘‘that a strike to the head can cause death and imprisonment is a likely outcome. I do not consider the purposes and principles of sentencing would be met by home detention.’’