Maxwel-Dee Repia case: Kayden Stanaway pleads guilty to murder

Conflict between two Auckland teenagers spanning eight months last year resulted in a fatal shooting and a young man now facing prison time.

Eighteen-year-old Maxwel-Dee Repia was killed on Turangi Road in Grey Lynn on 5 September, 2024, and three of his associates David Lucas, Sione Salt and Daniel Kalekale also suffered gun wounds.

Kayden Stanaway, who was 19 at the time of shooting, pleaded guilty to murder and three counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, at the High Court at Auckland on Wednesday.

He's due to be sentenced in February.

An agreed summary of facts outlined months of tensions and confrontations between the parties, including Stanaway's car being smashed by Repia and his group, and multiple instances of Repia entering Stanaway's home and threatening his family.

The summary said Stanaway's firing of the bullets in self defence, during the confrontation in September, was "unreasonable" in relation to the threat he believed he faced.

Tensions flared between Stanaway and Repia and his group after the former started a relationship with the ex-girlfriend of a friend of the group.

Between February and March 2024, Repia had attempted to punch Stanaway through an open car window, together with his group assaulted and stole $50 from Stanaway's friend - a 13 year-old boy, and allegedly went to Stanaway's home and threatened his 13-year-old sister.

Subsequently, Stanaway and his friends had taken a bag containing money and a phone from Repia and his associates.

The agreed facts said Repia had also allegedly pointed what appeared to be a firearm at Stanaway's father - though no bullets came out of the gun - and punched Stanaway's cousin to the ground.

On another occasion, Repia and his friends allegedly stood outside Stanaway's home with a crowbar, and smashed a window of Stanaway's car, as well as smashing a window to his house. This was reported to the police.

Despite a temporary truce between the groups following this incident, the peace was broken on 16 August when Repia and his group broke into Stanaway's home when he wasn't home, and demanded the keys to his motorbike from his family members.

The group held bottles by the neck, and shouted at Stanaway's father and sister, before leaving the house.

The agreed facts said Stanaway rushed home and saw one of Repia's associates assault his friend with a bottle.

Stanaway drove his car at members of Repia's group, hitting at least one of them.

On 28 August，Stanaway messaged Lucas, and referred to having ammunition or cartridges for Repia.

Lucas then sent Stanaway a photo of himself holding a shotgun.

Day of the fatal shooting

On 5 September, 2024, Repia and his associates filmed themselves chasing Stanaway as he drove his car.

The group later arrived at Stanaway's house on Turangi Road in the afternoon, and filmed themselves throwing rocks at his house.

Stanaway returned to his house after receiving a call from his father about the damage, and his associates also arrived, having been invited to attend Stanaway's brother's birthday party.

The summary of facts stated that over the course of the evening the parties exchanged messages, including Stanaway messaging Repia that he would kidnap his dad.

Around 6pm, Repia messaged Stanaway that he was coming to the house, and "if ur not there then im gna Kidnap ur dad".

Repia and his group arrived about 6.43pm, and by that time, Stanaway was with his associate Destry Watts, other friends, and a rottweiler dog.

"As Mr Repia's group approached the defendant's group, a heated verbal exchange ensued that was escalating. Mr Stanaway alleged that two of Mr Repia's associates threatened to shoot the rottweiler belonging to Stanaway's associate," the document stated.

Stanaway was standing next to a Mazda car with an open door, with the vehicle between himself and Repia and his group.

Repia stepped forward to the middle of the road "with his hands up in a position indicating an intention to engage in a fist fight", but soon stepped back onto the footpath, the document said.

At this time, his associate Lucas was holding a backpack in front of him, as he stood on the other side of the road from Stanaway.

The agreed facts said Stanaway recognised Lucas as the person who had sent him a photo of him holding a shotgun.

Repia's other associate Kalekale was also nearby, holding a cylindrincal object.

As Lucas moved closer to Stanaway's group, Kalekale held up the cylindrical object towards Stanaway, before dropping his arm back down.

Salt also raised his arm and held it up towards Stanaway around this time.

Stanaway subsequently reached for a gun in the vehicle, "believing that at least one of the complainants had a firearm in their hands", the summary stated.

He rapidly fired four shots at the group in self defence.

Repia died from a single gunshot wound to his chest at the scene.

Both Lucas and Salt suffered a single gunshot wound to their face, while Kalekale sustained a single gunshot wound to the side of his chest.

Stanaway got away in a car driven by Watts, and was arrested in Pukekohe two days later.

Watts was earlier sentenced in March to two years of intensive supervision, after pleading guilty to a charge of being an accessory after the fact to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and to possession of a weapon.

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