Bio 

Daniel John Luff was born in 1985 in New Zealand. By 2002, Luff was 17 years old and living in the Manawatū region. He had been in a relationship with Stephanie Cocker, but the relationship had ended. Luff did not accept the breakup well and became focused on her. Her family obtained a protection order after earlier incidents, including one in which he reportedly arrived at the property with a firearm and threatened to kill himself.

Before the shooting, Luff had been in trouble over weapons-related matters and was on bail for firearms offending. On the day of the killing, he went to the Cocker family’s rural property with a stolen high-powered rifle.

Murder Story

On July 5, 2002, Daniel Luff went to the Cocker family farmhouse on Taipo Road, near Awahuri in the Manawatū region. The property belonged to Robert and Christine Cocker, the parents of his former girlfriend, Stephanie Cocker. A protection order had already been taken out because of concerns about Luff’s behavior.

Detective Constables Duncan Taylor and Jeanette Park followed Luff to the property. Luff got out of his vehicle with a stolen high-powered rifle. When Taylor confronted him, Luff shot him at close range in the head and chest. Taylor died at the scene.

Luff then fired at Detective Park. She was shot in the thigh and narrowly avoided another shot that passed close to her head. Despite her injury, she managed to escape and drag herself a long distance to call for help.

Inside the farmhouse, Robert and Christine Cocker barricaded themselves away from Luff. Stephanie Cocker had hidden and escaped through a window to a neighbor’s house. Luff remained armed and refused to let police check on Taylor’s condition. The armed standoff lasted several hours.

During the siege, Luff also fired at Detective Constable Tony Heathcote. Police eventually used gas and a police dog to force Luff out of the house. He was arrested the same day after being wounded by police and bitten by a police dog.

Luff appeared in court the next day and was remanded in custody. On September 18, 2002, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 17-year minimum non-parole period for the murder of Duncan Taylor. He also received concurrent sentences for attempted murder, firing at another officer, kidnapping / unlawful detention, aggravated burglary, burglary, and breaches connected to the protection order.

While in prison, Luff completed rehabilitation work and pursued higher education. He later completed a psychology degree and worked toward doctoral study. In 2019, he became eligible for parole but did not proceed with release because he was still completing treatment. In 2021, parole was declined because of concerns about release planning and victim contact.

On April 28, 2022, the New Zealand Parole Board granted parole after finding that Luff had completed treatment and had a supported release plan. He was released in 2022 after about 20 years in prison.