Trio guilty again over 'torturous' toolbox murders
For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby.
The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container.
They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016.
Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time.
They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024.
Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men.
"It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts.
They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute.
When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch.
Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit.
They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby.
"We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury.
Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside.
The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it.
"The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said.
"There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound."
Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said.
Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said.
Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later.
"Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek.
"It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence."
Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial.
The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday.
The trio will be sentenced on Thursday.
Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders".
Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024.
Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter.
However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024.
For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby.
The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container.
They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016.
Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time.
They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024.
Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men.
"It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts.
They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute.
When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch.
Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit.
They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby.
"We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury.
Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside.
The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it.
"The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said.
"There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound."
Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said.
Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said.
Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later.
"Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek.
"It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence."
Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial.
The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday.
The trio will be sentenced on Thursday.
Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders".
Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024.
Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter.
However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024.
For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby.
The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container.
They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016.
Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time.
They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024.
Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men.
"It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts.
They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute.
When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch.
Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit.
They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby.
"We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury.
Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside.
The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it.
"The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said.
"There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound."
Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said.
Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said.
Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later.
"Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek.
"It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence."
Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial.
The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday.
The trio will be sentenced on Thursday.
Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders".
Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024.
Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter.
However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024.
For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby.
The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container.
They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016.
Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time.
They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024.
Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men.
"It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts.
They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute.
When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch.
Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit.
They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby.
"We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury.
Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside.
The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it.
"The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said.
"There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound."
Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said.
Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said.
Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later.
"Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek.
"It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence."
Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial.
The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday.
The trio will be sentenced on Thursday.
Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders".
Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024.
Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter.
However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024.
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A SUPREME Court judge has described the fatal stabbing of James Callahan on Beaumont Street last year as a "vicious murder" as one of seven people charged made a bid for bail on Friday. Dianne Fernando, 39, will have to wait until at least next week to find out if she will be let out on bail after Acting Justice Monika Schmidt told the court she needed more time to reflect on arguments put forward. Police allege Fernando was driving one of the vehicles captured on CCTV on the night of the fatal stabbing at Hamilton on November 17, 2024. Crown prosecutor Liam Shaw opposed Fernando's bail bid, calling the alleged murder a "shocking crime". "The Crown hasn't included the footage because it is too distressing to watch," he said. Mr Shaw alleged Fernando moved the car she was driving one to two metres closer to the altercation that took Mr Callahan's life, blocking the street and "providing lighting" to the people stabbing him. "It's not just the provision of the knife; from the beginning to the end, the applicant played a part in this episode," he said. Fernando was arrested after detectives from Newcastle's proactive crime team stopped a car on Albert Street at Lambton just before 1pm on February 4. Her solicitor argued elements of the Crown case were "circumstantial" and that if she was to be refused bail, Fernando could remain in custody until a trial at the end of 2026 or the start of 2027. "What we say in terms of the police case against Fernando is that it is largely based on CCTV of her movements, the use of her mobile phone, her proximity to what happened and something a witness heard that they said she said," he said. "Ms Fernando maintains what she said to the police in a statement provided to them that in terms of ultimately what happened, she didn't know what was going on, she wasn't told anything, and she was dumbfounded." The court heard that one of the passengers in the car claims she heard Fernando tell another passenger she shouldn't have given her a knife. Fernando's solicitor argued it was her first time in custody and that before she was arrested, she cared for five of her seven children. He said that prior to being arrested, Fernando suffered serious mental health issues and had sought help from her GP. Acting Justice Schmidt said she expected to deliver her decision early next week. Fernando's solicitor said she had "some criminal history largely made up of driving offences and more recently, but not too recently, some larcenies, fraud and an affray" and mentioned she was on a community corrections order at the time. Newcastle City police officers have been investigating the alleged murder of Mr Callahan under Strike Force Mannum, backed by the State Crime Command's homicide squad. A SUPREME Court judge has described the fatal stabbing of James Callahan on Beaumont Street last year as a "vicious murder" as one of seven people charged made a bid for bail on Friday. Dianne Fernando, 39, will have to wait until at least next week to find out if she will be let out on bail after Acting Justice Monika Schmidt told the court she needed more time to reflect on arguments put forward. Police allege Fernando was driving one of the vehicles captured on CCTV on the night of the fatal stabbing at Hamilton on November 17, 2024. Crown prosecutor Liam Shaw opposed Fernando's bail bid, calling the alleged murder a "shocking crime". "The Crown hasn't included the footage because it is too distressing to watch," he said. Mr Shaw alleged Fernando moved the car she was driving one to two metres closer to the altercation that took Mr Callahan's life, blocking the street and "providing lighting" to the people stabbing him. "It's not just the provision of the knife; from the beginning to the end, the applicant played a part in this episode," he said. Fernando was arrested after detectives from Newcastle's proactive crime team stopped a car on Albert Street at Lambton just before 1pm on February 4. Her solicitor argued elements of the Crown case were "circumstantial" and that if she was to be refused bail, Fernando could remain in custody until a trial at the end of 2026 or the start of 2027. "What we say in terms of the police case against Fernando is that it is largely based on CCTV of her movements, the use of her mobile phone, her proximity to what happened and something a witness heard that they said she said," he said. "Ms Fernando maintains what she said to the police in a statement provided to them that in terms of ultimately what happened, she didn't know what was going on, she wasn't told anything, and she was dumbfounded." The court heard that one of the passengers in the car claims she heard Fernando tell another passenger she shouldn't have given her a knife. Fernando's solicitor argued it was her first time in custody and that before she was arrested, she cared for five of her seven children. He said that prior to being arrested, Fernando suffered serious mental health issues and had sought help from her GP. Acting Justice Schmidt said she expected to deliver her decision early next week. Fernando's solicitor said she had "some criminal history largely made up of driving offences and more recently, but not too recently, some larcenies, fraud and an affray" and mentioned she was on a community corrections order at the time. Newcastle City police officers have been investigating the alleged murder of Mr Callahan under Strike Force Mannum, backed by the State Crime Command's homicide squad. A SUPREME Court judge has described the fatal stabbing of James Callahan on Beaumont Street last year as a "vicious murder" as one of seven people charged made a bid for bail on Friday. Dianne Fernando, 39, will have to wait until at least next week to find out if she will be let out on bail after Acting Justice Monika Schmidt told the court she needed more time to reflect on arguments put forward. Police allege Fernando was driving one of the vehicles captured on CCTV on the night of the fatal stabbing at Hamilton on November 17, 2024. Crown prosecutor Liam Shaw opposed Fernando's bail bid, calling the alleged murder a "shocking crime". "The Crown hasn't included the footage because it is too distressing to watch," he said. Mr Shaw alleged Fernando moved the car she was driving one to two metres closer to the altercation that took Mr Callahan's life, blocking the street and "providing lighting" to the people stabbing him. "It's not just the provision of the knife; from the beginning to the end, the applicant played a part in this episode," he said. Fernando was arrested after detectives from Newcastle's proactive crime team stopped a car on Albert Street at Lambton just before 1pm on February 4. Her solicitor argued elements of the Crown case were "circumstantial" and that if she was to be refused bail, Fernando could remain in custody until a trial at the end of 2026 or the start of 2027. "What we say in terms of the police case against Fernando is that it is largely based on CCTV of her movements, the use of her mobile phone, her proximity to what happened and something a witness heard that they said she said," he said. "Ms Fernando maintains what she said to the police in a statement provided to them that in terms of ultimately what happened, she didn't know what was going on, she wasn't told anything, and she was dumbfounded." The court heard that one of the passengers in the car claims she heard Fernando tell another passenger she shouldn't have given her a knife. Fernando's solicitor argued it was her first time in custody and that before she was arrested, she cared for five of her seven children. He said that prior to being arrested, Fernando suffered serious mental health issues and had sought help from her GP. Acting Justice Schmidt said she expected to deliver her decision early next week. Fernando's solicitor said she had "some criminal history largely made up of driving offences and more recently, but not too recently, some larcenies, fraud and an affray" and mentioned she was on a community corrections order at the time. Newcastle City police officers have been investigating the alleged murder of Mr Callahan under Strike Force Mannum, backed by the State Crime Command's homicide squad. 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"It's not just the provision of the knife; from the beginning to the end, the applicant played a part in this episode," he said. Fernando was arrested after detectives from Newcastle's proactive crime team stopped a car on Albert Street at Lambton just before 1pm on February 4. Her solicitor argued elements of the Crown case were "circumstantial" and that if she was to be refused bail, Fernando could remain in custody until a trial at the end of 2026 or the start of 2027. "What we say in terms of the police case against Fernando is that it is largely based on CCTV of her movements, the use of her mobile phone, her proximity to what happened and something a witness heard that they said she said," he said. "Ms Fernando maintains what she said to the police in a statement provided to them that in terms of ultimately what happened, she didn't know what was going on, she wasn't told anything, and she was dumbfounded." The court heard that one of the passengers in the car claims she heard Fernando tell another passenger she shouldn't have given her a knife. Fernando's solicitor argued it was her first time in custody and that before she was arrested, she cared for five of her seven children. He said that prior to being arrested, Fernando suffered serious mental health issues and had sought help from her GP. Acting Justice Schmidt said she expected to deliver her decision early next week. Fernando's solicitor said she had "some criminal history largely made up of driving offences and more recently, but not too recently, some larcenies, fraud and an affray" and mentioned she was on a community corrections order at the time. Newcastle City police officers have been investigating the alleged murder of Mr Callahan under Strike Force Mannum, backed by the State Crime Command's homicide squad.
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
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Trio guilty again over 'torturous' toolbox murders
For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby. The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container. They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016. Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time. They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024. Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men. "It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts. They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute. When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch. Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit. They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby. "We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury. Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside. The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it. "The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said. "There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound." Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said. Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said. Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later. "Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek. "It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence." Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial. The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday. The trio will be sentenced on Thursday. Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders". Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024. Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter. However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024. For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby. The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container. They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016. Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time. They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024. Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men. "It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts. They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute. When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch. Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit. They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby. "We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury. Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside. The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it. "The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said. "There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound." Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said. Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said. Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later. "Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek. "It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence." Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial. The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday. The trio will be sentenced on Thursday. Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders". Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024. Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter. However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024. For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby. The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container. They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016. Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time. They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024. Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men. "It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts. They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute. When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch. Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit. They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby. "We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury. Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside. The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it. "The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said. "There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound." Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said. Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said. Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later. "Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek. "It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence." Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial. The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday. The trio will be sentenced on Thursday. Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders". Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024. Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter. However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024. For hours, three men played video games and drank whiskey as Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru lay bound in a toolbox nearby. The pair had been beaten, stabbed and choked before they were stuffed into the two metre-long container. They were likely "screaming for their lives" when the toolbox was later dumped in a lagoon south of Brisbane in January 2016. Almost 10 years later, Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp were found guilty of the pair's murder for a second time. They faced a retrial in Brisbane after the Court of Appeal set aside murder convictions in July 2024. Mr Breton, 28, and Ms Triscaru, 31, had been lured to a residential unit at Kingston, south of Brisbane, before being attacked by a group of men. "It was torturous. They were assaulted when they arrived and throughout the day ... while bound with cable ties and duct tape," Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the weeks-long trial that concluded with Friday's verdicts. They were attacked, interrogated and threatened over a drug dealing dispute. When Ngatokoona Mareiti arrived at the unit to buy drugs, Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were sitting bound on the couch. Sent away to buy whiskey, by the time Mareiti returned she could not see the pair and assumed they were in the toolbox at the unit. They drank and played video games as the bound pair were held captive in the container nearby. "We drank the alcohol … they had a PlayStation there," Mareiti told the jury. Cloths and bleach used to clean bloodstains in the unit were thrown into the toolbox before it was taken away with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru still inside. The terrified pair made so much noise as the container was being moved, music from an awaiting ute was turned up in a bid to conceal it. "The transition of the toolbox to a HiLux utility vehicle attracted attention from those present at the unit complex - there was noise emanating from the toolbox," Mr Crane said. "There was music used from the HiLux to cover up the sound." Thrupp either threw the toolbox weighed down by concrete into nearby Scrubby Creek or was present when it happened, Mr Crane said. Daniels and Taiao were also liable for murder by forcing the victims into the toolbox hours before their deaths, he said. Police divers found the bodies locked in the toolbox submerged in the creek two weeks later. "Most likely the two ... were alive and screaming for their lives when they were placed in the creek," Justice Peter Davis said in 2020 when sentencing Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute to the creek. "It is haunting to imagine the moment that the toolbox slipped under the water, plunging the night into silence." Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at their retrial. The jury on Friday returned its verdict after deliberating since 10.45am Wednesday. The trio will be sentenced on Thursday. Overall seven men and a woman were charged over what became known as the "toolbox murders". Tahiata received a life sentence for murder, unsuccessfully appealing the conviction in April 2024. Mareiti, Webbstar Latu, Tepuna Tupuna Mariri and Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker were found guilty of manslaughter. However, Walker had his convictions overturned in July 2024.
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
Erin Patterson murder trial LIVE updates: Accused mushroom cook's defence barrister Colin Mandy, SC, expected to close arguments on Thursday on triple murder trial
Latest posts Latest posts 10.38am What happens next? By Marta Pascual Juanola Once defence barrister Colin Mandy, SC, concludes his closing address, which he anticipates might be today, Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale will give his final directions to the jury. Beale told jurors earlier this week that he would not be starting his address, called a judge's charge, until Monday morning, and added that the process could take a couple of days. 'It may spill over to Wednesday. With the wind at my back, I might finish it by Tuesday afternoon,' Beale told the jury. 'I just tell you that so you can organise your affairs, and I'll give you another update as we go along.' Once Beale concludes his charge, the jury will be sent out to start deliberations. 10.38am Who is who in the case By Marta Pascual Juanola 10.38am Barrister expected to wrap case for the defence By Marta Pascual Juanola Erin Patterson's defence barrister, Colin Mandy, SC, is due to continue delivering his closing address to the jury this morning after spending most of Wednesday on his feet wrapping the case. Mandy began delivering his address on Tuesday afternoon after Crown prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers spent about a day and a half closing the case for the prosecution. He is expected to conclude his address sometime today after he told the jury on Wednesday afternoon that finishing Thursday morning 'will be the aim'. 'I should be finishing sometime tomorrow morning, that will be the aim, but I am sure you understand it is a little bit difficult to predict how quickly I go through this material,' Mandy said. He said the defence was responding to a 'pretty detailed' prosecution argument. 'I am not going to apologise for it. We're doing our job, and we will try and do it as efficiently as possible, but as thoroughly as possible,' Mandy said. 10.38am Welcome to our live coverage By Marta Pascual Juanola Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of day 35 of the murder trial of accused mushroom killer Erin Patterson at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell. My name is Marta Pascual Juanola, and together with my colleague, court reporter Erin Pearson, we will bring you the latest information from inside courtroom number four as we near the end of week eight of proceedings. As regular readers of our coverage will know, Patterson is accused of murdering her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, by serving them a lunch of beef Wellington that contained death cap mushrooms at her home in Leongatha on July 29, 2023. Heather's husband, Baptist pastor Ian Wilkinson, also attended the lunch and ate the meal but survived after spending several weeks in the hospital, most of those in an induced coma.
