Holtz family may meet his attacker
The family of slain teenager Eli Holtz are considering meeting his killer for a restorative justice meeting.
And Eli’s mother says there are “no winners” in the situation and is urging people to be kind to each other.
Myron Felise, 30, will be sentenced in February and is looking at a lengthy prison term. Before then Eli’s family may agree to meet with him for a restorative justice meeting.
Crown prosecutor Brian Dickey told the court they were open to the restorative justice process. Restorative justice is an informal conference between a victim, offender and support people.
For the first time yesterday the full summary of facts was read in court.
Eli was from Whangarei but had travelled to Auckland with a mate. He was a passenger while his friend drove around the CBD in the early hours of the morning.
Eli pointed a toy water gun out the window and fired a shot which hit Felise in the back. His mate then drove on. When the car stopped at the nearby intersection of Queen St, Felise charged towards it.
Felise pulled the passenger door open and punched Eli in the face. He then picked up the water gun and struck Eli repeatedly with it. Eli put his hands up to try to fend Felise off. The older, much bigger man started to punch him in the face again. A post-mortem examination confirmed the teenager died as a result of blunt force trauma.
As the summary was read Eli’s family members, holding a framed photograph of the slain teenager, wept.
After the hearing Eli’s mother, Kirsten Holtz, led her family from court — stopping to embrace and comfort Felise’s relatives who were distraught.