Jeff Ryan Whittington (2 February 1985 – 9 May 1999) was a 14-year-old murdered by two men in an anti-gay hate crime in Wellington, New Zealand.
[1] Whittington was beaten by Jason Morris Meads and Stephen Smith, suffering severe facial injuries and perforated bowels.
At the time of his death, Whittington had dyed his hair purple and was wearing fluorescent green nail polish.
[2] At 4.20am on 8 May 1999, Whittington was found lying apparently unconscious by a police officer on Vivian Street in Wellington.
[5] The Crown prosecutor alleged that shortly after the police officer left Whittington at 4.20am, Meads and Smith stopped and offered him a ride home.
[6] Instead, Meads and Smith drove Whittington to Inverlochy Place, dragged him out of the car and assaulted him with blows to the head and body.
[6] A witness claimed that Meads and Smith told him on the morning of Whittington's attack "something about how they fucked up a faggot and they left him for dead".
[7] The defence argued that Meads and Smith had not intended to kill Whittington, and that therefore they should be found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.
[8] However, Crown prosecutor Kenneth Stone argued that the blows to Whittington's head indicated the accused were intent on seriously injuring him and this should be taken into account by the jury.
[8] On 3 December 1999, after deliberating for nine hours, a High Court of New Zealand jury found Meads and Smith guilty of murdering Whittington.