Gang Member Admits Guilt in Seven-Year Flaxmere Manslaughter Cold Case

Mongrel Mob member Erueti Wirihana admits to the 2018 manslaughter of Eddie Peters in Flaxmere after a recorded prison call shattered a long-standing false alibi.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 25, 2026, 3:36 AM EDT

Source: RNZ Pacific

Justice Served Years After Fatal Flaxmere Assault

The seven-year search for accountability in the death of Edward Anthony Peters, affectionately known as "Eddie Spaghetti," reached a pivotal conclusion in the High Court at Napier. Erueti Wirihana, a 29-year-old member of the Mongrel Mob, formally pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Friday. The admission marks the end of a cold case that began in November 2018, when Peters was brutally assaulted following a funeral gathering in the Hawke’s Bay suburb of Flaxmere.

Wirihana also entered a guilty plea for perverting the course of justice, a charge stemming from a calculated effort to mislead investigators for nearly half a decade. The court proceedings revealed that the case had languished for years due to a fraudulent alibi provided by Wirihana's partner, which successfully diverted police attention until a technical slip-up during a recorded prison conversation exposed the lie.

The Breakdown of a False Alibi

The turning point in the investigation occurred in 2022 while Wirihana was incarcerated on unrelated matters. During a monitored telephone call, his partner made comments that compromised the false narrative they had maintained since 2018. Upon realizing the strategic error, Wirihana was recorded berating his partner in a profanity-laced tirade, accurately predicting that her statements would "sink the ship" and lead to his eventual downfall.

New Zealand Police, acting under a court order, obtained the recordings which provided the evidentiary leverage needed to dismantle the alibi. This development allowed authorities to upgrade the focus on Wirihana, who had previously benefited from his partner's claims that they were together throughout the night of the attack. His partner has since been dealt with by the judicial system for her role in the deception.