A $140 drug deal that went wrong and resulted in murder has put a Palmerston North man behind bars for more than a decade.
James Andrew Mills, 30, was jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 11 years when he appeared in the High Court at Palmerston North this week, after last month admitting to shooting dead Jamie Martin Faulkner, The Manawatu Standard reported.
The incident happened last September, when Mills' partner texted Mr Faulkner about $140 she had given him for drugs which she claimed she had not received, Justice Ronald Young said.
Mr Faulkner went round to her flat where Mills was waiting with a sawn-off rifle.
An argument began and Mills shot Mr Faulkner in the chest.
Justice Young said Mills' actions were a "mindless piece of violence" and that he had tricked Mr Faulkner into coming to the flat.
"You showed him no mercy while he was cowering in a corner of the room," Justice Young said.
"Your girlfriend and he were having a dispute, so you killed him for $140.
"As a result of your actions, a family has lost a son, brother, father and a friend."
NZPA