A patched Head Hunters member has pleaded guilty to the double murder of his ex-partner and her father.

Mikaere Puata-Chaney, whose identity was kept secret until today due to fair trial rights, stood in the dock in the High Court at Auckland today as he entered the two guilty pleas.

The courtroom gallery was filled to capacity with supporters for Eliza Trubuhovich and her father, Geoffrey Trubuhovich, who also had name suppression before today. The two were shot to death, along with her dog, at a Glendene property in July.

Puata-Chaney was arrested a short time later.

It can also be revealed for the first time today that Puata-Chaney was convicted late last year of having participated in the high-profile Sofitel lobby shooting amid a turf war between the Head Hunters and rival gang the Mongols.

That shooting, which took place on a busy weekday morning in April 2021, left staff members running for safety inside the luxury hotel as a Mongols member was targeted. No one was injured but the shooting elicited a strong police response.

While he wasn’t the person who pulled the trigger during the Sofitel shooting, he was found guilty by a jury of aiding the shooter.

Puata-Chaney was sentenced earlier this month to three years and five months’ imprisonment for the Sofitel incident, with the judge noting his lesser role in the shooting and his difficult upbringing. His mother was closely linked to Black Power and his father was a member of the Head Hunters, the judge noted, adding that the man left school at age 13 “and instead received an education in violence”.

He is set to be sentenced in July for the double-murder conviction.

An agreed summary of facts, outlining what happened on the day of the shooting, is expected to be submitted to the court next week.

Wearing a white t-shirt and sweat pants, Puata-Chaney paced a small circle between two guards today as he entered the guilty pleas, repeatedly looking back at family members who had travelled to the High Court for the hearing.

The other side of the courtroom was filled with people wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with the images of Eliza and Geoffrey Trubuhovich and Eliza’s dog.

Police previously released Mikaere Puata-Chaney's images when he was wanted in relation to the Sofitel shooting investigation. Photo / Supplied

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