The family of convicted killer Kellan Lewis have hit back at criticism from Shadow Justice Minister Trevor Moniz — insisting Lewis maintains he didn't kill student Kellon Hill.

They said Lewis "felt profoundly" for Kellon's family, and argued Mr. Moniz was out of order complaining about his failure to apologise or confess while making a speech at the Mirrors graduation ceremony. "It is unfortunate when politicians fall into the age old trap of seeking to curry favour with a section of our community from a position of apparent ignorance," said the family in a statement released through lawyer Craig Attridge.

Eighteen-year-old Kellon was fatally stabbed during a late-night party at Elbow Beach two years ago.

Lewis, now 18, was one of five teens including Kevin Warner, Zharrin Simmons, Gary Hollis, and Devon Hairston on trial for the murder; he alone was convicted of manslaughter after a second trial. In his speech a week ago, Lewis revealed he had completed Mirrors while starting his 12-year prison sentence, and claimed he'd transformed himself.

Mr. Moniz responded by saying he should have brought comfort to Kellon's family by confessing to manslaughter, and said his speech seemed to be a cynical ploy to help him get parole.

The family said in their statement: "One would have expected a senior lawyer, albeit not a criminal lawyer, to know that any cynical ploy to influence the parole board would commence with the very confession and show of contrition — however insincere and untrue — that was absent from Kellan Lewis' comments at the Mirrors Graduation.

"To be effective those two things would have to be at the forefront of such a ploy. And the absence of those two features speaks volumes of the conclusions drawn by the Shadow Justice Minister.

"The reality is, and this would be clear to anyone who knows Kellan Lewis, or took the time to inquire as to the case against him for the killing of Kellon Hill, and the comments he made to the Hill family in his pre-sentence report and on sentencing, that his participation in the Mirrors programme has nothing to do with the parole board, and is anything but cynical."

They said Lewis showed during his sentencing that he "felt profoundly for Kellon Hill's family and that he could wholly understand that they wanted someone to be held responsible for what happened to their loved one — whilst continuing to maintain his innocence".

The statement continued: "It would then be strange indeed if a young man who has throughout maintained his innocence — for offences that he was only convicted of at the second attempt, and then only on what was arguably a compromise verdict to the lesser offence of manslaughter as an aider and abettor — were to confess to a crime which he is adamant he did not commit."

They said Mr. Moniz should have emulated Kellon's father Daniel, who said there were "no winners" when Lewis was sentenced.

And they added that Mirrors organisers had approached Lewis to ask him to contribute a speech to the ceremony.

Mr. Moniz had said Mirrors should not be used to allow people to think they can be forgiven for their crimes without repentance. The family argued: "Should we forget the tragic death of Kellon Hill? Certainly not. Should the graduates of the Mirrors programme, including Kellan Lewis, and the people who in good faith run that programme for the betterment of our youth, and this society as a whole, be applauded for their efforts? Of course they should.

"Without their efforts, and other similar efforts, this Island will undoubtedly suffer more tragic and unnecessary deaths, whilst others continue instead to seek to curry favour by issuing inflammatory and inaccurate pleas to the press."