The murder trial of Keith Kerinauia has heard the mother of stabbing victim Declan Laverty, who was allegedly murdered while working at a Darwin bottle shop in 2023, was aware her son carried a knife to work, and had encouraged him to do so for his own protection.
Warning: This story contains graphic details of injuries.
Mr Kerinauia has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 20-year-old Declan Laverty, who he fatally stabbed while working at a BWS bottle shop in the suburb of Jingili in March 2023.
Mr Kerinauia’s lawyers are arguing he acted in self-defence.
Two statements from Samara Laverty, Declan’s mother, provided to NT Police following her son’s death were read aloud to the NT Supreme Court on Wednesday.
In one statement, Ms Laverty said Declan had told her he was threatened by a screwdriver once before and was scared for his safety, so she encouraged him to carry a knife for his own protection at work in case he was threatened again.
Ms Laverty told police she knew her son carried a knife although she had never seen it and did not know what kind of knife it was.
She also told police she and her son did not discuss the knife although he did mention all employees carried their own knives too.
In the statement, she said she felt “responsible” for the situation but that she was at a compete loss.
“Honestly, I don’t know anything about this. I’m just a grieving mum,” she said in the statement read to court.
‘I’m terrified’: Mum’s triple-0 call heard
In a triple-0 call played to the court on the night Declan died, Ms Laverty can be heard telling the operator she’d received a text from her son saying he’d been stabbed.
“I’m terrified right now,” she could be heard telling the operator.
“He sent me a text saying, ‘I love you mum’. I tried to ring and he answered, but all I heard was screaming and yelling and now I can’t get hold of him.”
The operator could be heard comforting Ms Laverty, telling her emergency services had already received several calls for help, and that paramedics were on scene.
Accused’s cousin says Kerinauia ‘provoked’
The cousin of Mr Kerinauia, Edward Rioli Jr, who was in the car with the accused when they arrived at the bottle shop, told the court Mr Kerinauia seemed “angry” and started yelling after Mr Laverty asked Mr Rioli to leave the store for having no shoes.
Mr Rioli, appearing for the prosecution, told the court he thought Mr Kerinauia believed Mr Laverty was “being disrespectful” by asking Mr Rioli to leave.
Marty Aust (prosecution): “What was the feeling you had at that time?”
Edward Rioli Jr (witness): “Worried, scared … I felt like things were escalating.”
In evidence prompting the judge to allow the prosecution to cross-examine its own witness, Mr Rioli Jr told the court he thought Mr Laverty had “provoked” Mr Kerinauia.
The prosecution then read sections of the statement Mr Rioli Jr initially provided to police, with Mr Rioli Jr conceding he never used the term “provoked” during the police interview.
“At no time anywhere in your statement did you say the bottle shop worker provoked ‘Micky’ [Keith Kerinauia], did you?” the prosecution asked.
“Yes,” the witness responded.
Mr Rioli said he recalled seeing Mr Kerinauia grab a blade roughly the size of a ruler from the car before returning to the bottle shop.
Marty Aust (prosecution): “What did you notice when he came back to the car?”
Edward Rioli Jr (witness): “He had blood on his shirt and he was cut on the face, it wasn’t too deep but that’s what I noticed.”
Mr Rioli said Mr Kerinauia told him he’d stabbed a guy in the chest and was worried he might end up in jail.
On Tuesday, the court heard witness accounts of bottle shop worker’s fatal stabbing, and CCTV footage of the stabbing was played to the court.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday.
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