Dandenong Man Killed for Caricature Depicting Woman as Fat

A 26 year old man was fatally stabbed in the chest in his new home.

Crime: Murder

Occurred: 15 July 2011

Where: 44 Princes Highway, Dandenong

Sentenced:  5 April 2013

Convicted: Boronika Gam Hothnyang

Victim: William Awu

What happened?
William and Boronika, both Sudanese, belonged to a group of friends who enjoyed drinking and socialising. Around mid-July 2011 Boronika allowed William to move in with her.

On 15 July, Boronika, William and three other friends, including her boyfriend, rose at 8:30am to continue a drinking binge that had started the day before. Throughout the day more people visited the house, some for a short time, some hanging around all day.

As Boronika drank, she also grew more aggressive and agitated. She was upset when her boyfriend taunted her that she came to Australia from Kenya rather than Egypt, and she left the house to pay a visit to the Dandenong branch of the Department of Human Services to complain about a door in her home that needed fixing.

When she returned home, William drew a caricature of Boronika that depicted her as being overweight. Her boyfriend laughed at the picture and teased her about it. Angry, Boronika told William to stop drawing pictures like that and that both men should stop the taunting or there would be consequences.

At around 2.15pm in the afternoon, after her boyfriend went back to bed, Boronika was witnessed by friends as putting her arm around William's neck so that he struggled to breath. Two friends made Boronika back off, and she continued drinking until 4pm when she announced she was going to bed.

Soon after, Boronika emerged from the bedroom, walked into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, holding it behind her back as she approached William, who was passed out in the corner of the room. She stabbed him once to the chest. He died of blood loss at the scene.

Boronika used a kitchen knife similar to this one to attack her friend (source).

Victim's background
Born in Sudan, William was the third child among ten children. He fled to Egypt in 2002 and moved to Australia with his family in 2004. He studied English for a brief period and later worked as a farm labourer in Victoria and New South Wales. He also had a talent for drawing caricatures. He was unemployed at the time of his death.

Soon after his arrival in Australia, he developed a drinking problem and fell in with the wrong crowd. At the time of his murder his blood alcohol reading was 0.42. Six weeks before he was killed, he was hospitalised for pulmonary tuberculosis and told to quit smoking and drinking.

All ten of William's siblings, as well as his mother, provided victim impact statements to the Court.

Convicted's background
Boronika was 24 years old at the time of the murder. She was one of six children, born in the Sudan. Her father was a factory worker and her mother was the primary caregiver. Boronika never attended school. Despite the civil war raging in her country, she reported to have a happy childhood, although she moved to Egypt when she was 13 years old, accompanied by an abusive brother and an aunt who the judge described as "cruel, sadistic and manipulative".

Life in Egypt was tough. She worked as a domestic servant and endured abuse. Around this time she had an older boyfriend who she fell pregnant to, but suffered a late miscarriage.

She came to Australia around the age of 15 or 16 and, similar to William, fell in with the wrong crowd and began drinking heavily. She fell pregnant again, and this time was allegedly forced to undergo an abortion by her aunty. She attempted suicide soon after. She fell pregnant again to the same boyfriend but he broke up with her.

She went on to have three children borne to three abusive fathers. She continued to drink throughout her pregnancies. All three children were placed into the custody of the Department of Human Services at some point in their early childhood, in relation to Boronika's alcoholism. One of the fathers was also suspected of sexually abusing one or more of her children.

Boronika was admitted into psychiatric units in hospitals on several different occasions in relation to suicide attempts and threats of harm to her children. Each incident was accompanied by heavy drinking. Each time she was hospitalised, away from the influence of alcohol she was able to make a recovery. However, upon being released she would relapse back into her former lifestyle.

44 Princes Highway, Boronika's home and where the murder occurred (source).

Outcome of trial: Boronika pleaded not guilty but a jury found otherwise.

Sentence: 10 years and 6 months before eligible for parole (14 years max), with over a year of her sentence already served while on remand.

Factors that were taken into account to reach this sentence were: Boronika's prospects for rehabilitation, her young age, the time she would spend away from her children, her lack of premeditation, lack of prior offending, her remorse (although she could not remember the offence she did demonstrate sadness at  having killed her friend), her age and what the Judge described as her 'horrific background and personal circumstances'.  Balanced against these elements were punishment, deterrence, the seriousness of the offence and denunciation. The Judge also commented in passing that: 'All of this is such a sad reflection on our society, that we have groups of seemingly dispossessed men and women who have been brought here as refugees, with little or nothing to do except drink their days away.'

This case was unsuccessfully appealed in 2014.

You can read the judgment here.  News articles are available here, here and here.

Cranbourne Drug Dealer Dies by Shovel and Nylon Strap

A 48 year old man was fatally beaten and strangled in his home.

Crime: Manslaughter

Occurred:  Saturday, 20 August 2011

Where: 15 Golden Wattle Court, Cranbourne

Sentenced:  27 March 2013

Convicted:  Glenn Hollow

Victim:  Laurence Grey

What happened?
In mid-August 2011, Glenn drove down from Sydney to visit his sister in St Kilda.  He met up with a friend, Anthony Lucas, and the two men spent a few days living in their cars, tight for cash.  On Saturday, Glenn texted several people, asking for $50.  Later that day, both men drove down to Laurence's house in Cranbourne.  Laurence shared some heroin with Anthony and then showed his guests a couple of cars that he was restoring.

At some point during the visit, Laurence was struck over the head with a post-hole shovel and strangled with a black nylon strap.  Both Glenn and Anthony participated in the attack.  They stole cash and cannabis and fled back to Melbourne.

Laurence's body was discovered two days later on his patio.

Laurence's house at 15 Golden Wattle Court, Cranbourne (source).

Victim's background
Laurence was 48 years old at the time of his death.  He was described by police as a low level drug dealer, selling approximately half a pound of cannabis a week for the last 10 years.  Laurence's best friend told the media that Laurence was very excited about a new job he was going to apply for: "He was cleaning himself up, he was getting himself together, and then this happened".  After his body was discovered, police publicly appealed to his former drug customers, who may have visited the premises around the time of Laurence's death, to come forward and share any relevant information with authorities.

Laurence left behind his 80 year old mother, a sister, and a brother, who he had not spoken to for two years. Laurence lived alone with two dogs.

Laurence Grey (source).

Convicted's background
Glenn was approximately 34 years old at the time of the killing.  Born and raised in Ararat, he was the middle child of three.  He was sexually abused as a child.  His older brother died in a car accident at age 27. He left school in Year 10 and joined the army aged 15, participating in tours to Somalia, Cambodia and Bougainville.

At age 18, after he was dishonorably discharged for assaulting an officer, Glenn moved back to Ararat to live with his parents and work at his mum's cafe. Not long after, he was arrested for car theft and possession of a firearm, which is likely to have been related to an incident where he stole his mother's car and threatened to commit suicide.

He became a truckie and at age 22 moved out of home to live with his girlfriend, and later wife, Kelly Martin, and they later had three kids, today aged 15, 12 and 10.

At 23, Glenn received a suspended sentence and a community service order for stealing $140,000 from his employers.  After serving out the order, he moved his family to Queensland and worked as an estimator. After being overlooked for a promotion he stole $100,000 from his boss.  He was charged and released on bail but fled to Melbourne with his family, where he returned to truck driving and amphetamine use.  After a truck roll incident in 2006, he required a spinal fusion and suffered ongoing back pain.

At 31, Glenn's marriage was failing.  Around this time he entered his wife's caravan with an offensive weapon and was sentenced to 14 months in prison (5 months before eligible for parole).  After serving 6 months, he was released and extradited to Brisbane where he was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months imprisonment. He was released in August 2010 after serving 2 years, and then violated his parole conditions in order to relocate to Victoria.

Glenn also has a history of abusing painkillers and amphetamines and also has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Glenn was a truck driver (source).

Outcome of trial: Glenn initially pleaded not guilty but during the trial changed his mind.  The trial was discontinued.  The judge estimated that this saved two weeks of the Court's time.

Sentence: 7 years and 3 months before eligible for parole (10 years max), with over a year and a half already served while on remand.

You can read the judgment here.  News articles are available here, here and here.

69 Year Old Vigilante Stormed Hidden Valley

A 62 year old man was tracked down in the White Pages and murdered.

Crime: Murder

Occurred: 23 November 2011

Where: Hidden Valley

Sentenced:  28 February 2013

Convicted:  Clarence Stanley Nelson

Victim:  Graeme Benney

What happened?
Clarence and Graeme were acquainted through their wives, who were first cousins.  The two families spent a lot of time together while their children were young.  It was common for the kids to sleep in one room when the families were socialising.  However, the friendship drifted apart when Graeme and his wife separated in 1989.

In 2000, Clarence's children, now adults, reported among themselves instances of molestation at the hands of Graeme Benney and also Clarence's brother, Gregory Nelson.  No one went to the police regarding these allegations.

However, word did get to Clarence, and it appears he experienced some anger and held a grudge, for 11 years later he met an acquaintance at a shopping centre and produced a bullet from his pocket, describing it as intended for his brother.

In November 2011, following an instance where Clarence licked the inside of his 5 year old granddaughter's ear, one of Clarence's daughters alleged that Clarence had molested her until she was 15 years old.  Following a confrontation outside his son's home, Clarence's son told him "I know what you did...I'm going to bring your world undone.  You're fucked."

Clarence was unable to contact his daughter who made the accusations.  Instead, he walked into the garage and emerged with a 9mm semi-automatic pisto and ammunition.  The first target was his brother, but Clarence was unable to track down Gregory through the White Pages and family enquiries.

Clarence then turned to tracking down Graeme.  He drove to Graeme's address, arriving at roughly 8:15pm, whereupon he went inside and had a superficial, pleasant conversation with both Graeme and his wife.  Clarence then asked Graeme to join him outside to inspect some panel damage on his car.  Once outside, Clarence reached into his car, pulled out the gun and shot Graeme three times, saying "This will teach you, you bastard, for everything you've done" while Grame's wife stood nearby.

Graeme died of blood loss and internal organ trauma.  He suffered wounds in the heart, lung, stomach, bowel and kidney.

Later that evening, Clarence turned himself in at the Epping Police Station.

Victim's background
Graeme was 62 when he died.  He remarried in 1993 and lived in Hidden Valley with his family.  He leaves behind a widow, children and grandchildren.

A 9mm semi-automatic similar to the model used by Clarence (source).

Convicted's background
Clarence was 69 at the time of the murder.  He was born the eldest of eight children.  His father was a World War II veteran, who returned home to Australia injured and alcoholic.  Clarence grew up suffering physical abuse at the hands of his father and was also molested between the ages of nine and 12 by his father's friend.  He was pressured into a sexual relationship with his mother's best friend when he was 14.

Clarence finished Year 10 at a technical school and became a fitter and turner.  Successful in his career, he was an engineering manager at Carlton and United Breweries until he needed quadruple bypass surgery in 1990.

Clarence was a well-regarded member of his local parish and cared for his wife who suffered from a mental illness.  He had no prior convictions before the murder.

When first imprisoned, he attempted suicide.  He continues to suffer health issues today.  In sentencing, the judge remarked that he may die in prison.

Outcome of trial: Clarence pleaded guilty and no trial was necessary.

Sentence: 12 years before eligible for parole, 18 years maximum.

You can read the judgment here.  News articles are available here and here.

Hidden Valley (source).

Dromana Woman Died in Post-Coital Attack

A 54 year old woman was beaten to death after sex.

Crime:  Murder

Occurred:  26 April 2011

Where: Unknown address, Dromona

Sentenced:  19 February 2013

Convicted:  Dwaine Anthony Grant

Victim:  Julie Simmonds

What happened?

Despite the 22 year age gap between the couple, Dwaine and Julie had a sexual relationship dating back to Dwaine's early teens.  Over the last year, since Dwaine had moved to Dromona, the two were regular drinking buddies.  On the day of the murder, they drank cask wine and smoked pot together.  Later in the day, they had sex and then something, it is not clear what, made Dwaine snap.  He called Julie a "fuckwit" and a "gutter slut" and proceeded to beat her viciously, beginning in the living room and then moving into the bedroom, choking her to the point of crushing her larynx, ripping chunks of hair right off her scalp and battering her all over, including around her genitals and anus. He held her by the hair while punching her and finished off by repeatedly hitting her over the back of the head with a lump of wood. Julie died of "multiple injuries including neck compression" and was alive for the entire beating.

Victim's background

Julie, aged 54 at the time of her death, was an alcoholic.  She left behind three children and an ex-husband.  In sentencing, the judge commented that Julie's family were left with "a cruel and unjustified feeling that they did not protect her adequately in the vulnerable state which it was plain her alcoholism created".

The Dromana pier (source).

Convicted's background

Dwaine was 22 years old when he murdered Julie.  His father died before he was born and his mother found an undesirable de facto partner.  Dwaine experienced sexual abuse, witnessed ongoing domestic violence, and spent his earlier years in foster homes. Early on, Dwaine began racking up a series of offences in the Children's Court, related to dishonesty and motor vehicle offences.  He moved to Melbourne as a young adult and obtained a series of partial trade qualifications before he was sacked for his alcoholism.  In 2010 he moved back to Dromana where he spent his days drinking and lived on welfare.  As well as alcohol, Dwaine was a cannabis and (alleged) amphetamine user.

Dwaine also held a number of convictions in the Magistrates Court, none of them related to violence.

Dwaine and Julie drank cask wine on the day of the murder (source).

Outcome of trial:  Dwaine pleaded guilty so there was no need for a trial.

Sentence:  16 years before eligible for parole, 20 years maximum.

You can access the judgment here.  Media articles are available here and here.

Brutal Assault in Swan Hill

 A 65 year old man was beaten to death in his own home.

Crime: Murder and theft

Occurred: 28 September 2011


Where: Harrisen Crescent, Swan Hill

Sentenced: 6 February 2013

Convicted: Darren Williams

Victim: Gary John Beggs

What happened?
Darren and Gary became acquainted in Bendigo when Darren asked Gary for a lift to Swan Hill for $20.  Gary obliged.  Six days later, over a cask of wine with his friend Kim (who happened to live on the same street as Gary), Kim told Darren that Gary was gay and was involved in a dispute with Kim over some money that she owed him.
Darren was disturbed at hearing this news, and as more people came to the premises that day for a party, he was heard by witnesses to make threats that he was "going to do the old fella over".
The party finished up at midnight but Darren stayed up and continued drinking.  Eventually, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and walked down the road to Gary's house.
Shortly before the attack, Darren became convinced that Gary had sexually assaulted him.
Gary was in his lounge room when Darren stabbed him in such a frenzy around the chest and face that the knife broke off after becoming stuck in Gary's right eye.  Darren also dropped a stone statue on Gary's head, fracturing his skull.
Gary died of head and chest injuries.
Following the murder, Darren stole Gary's Toyota station wagon and dumped it in Dareton, New South Wales.

Victim's background
Gary was 65 years old when he was killed.  He is survived by his intellectually disabled 11 year old son, Nathan.  Nathan's mother left the family when he was three years old, and he was raised by Gary until he was 8 and then placed into the care of the Department of Human Services.  Nathan looked forward to his father's visits, and since his father's death has regressed.
Gary also left behind a brother in Austria.

Convicted's background
Darren was 37 years old at the time of the murder.  He was one of nine kids.  Darren was sexually abused as a child.  He told police that Gary had also sexually assaulted him, though he was unable to convince the sentencing judge on a balance of probabilities that this was the case.
Darren's mother died of cancer when he was 11, and his father died of diabetes-related complications when Gary was 35.  Gary was of Aboriginal, Afghani and Irish origin and identified as Aboriginal.  He spent most of his life at the Manatjira Mission in Dareton, New South Wales.
Darren dropped out of school around year 10, and worked seasonally in number of jobs including woodcutting and fruit picking.  He became an alcoholic by the time he was 18, and continued to abuse alcohol up until the murder.  Throughout the years he incurred a string of violent convictions dating back to when he was 21, spending over 5 (non-consecutive) years in prison.
He has a daughter who lives with her mother.

Outcome of trial:  Although Darren initially pleaded not guilty to the murder, he changed his plea to guilty and there was no need for a trial.

Sentence:  Darren was sentenced to 14.5 years imprisonment before eligible for parole, 17.5 years maximum. Darren served 494 days of his sentence while in remand.

You can read the judgment here, and media articles here and here.

The township of Swan Hill (source)

Double Murder on Notorious Lygon Street

Crime:  Murder x 2

Occurred:  Friday, 13 August 2010

Where:  192 Lygon Street, Carlton

Sentenced:  14 September 2012

Convicted:  Adam Kosian

Victims: Boris Kostov and Goran Vasic

What happened?

Early Friday afternoon, Adam rang his mother and sister and told them he would be out of contact for about six weeks.   He lit candles on his coffee table, made the sign of the cross several times and kissed his dog before leaving.  Armed with .32 Browning and a spare magazine, Adam caught a taxi to his regular hangout, a pokies venue named Players on Lygon.

Some time after arriving, Adam walked up to his friend Boris Kostov, who was seated in the outdoor area, and shot him once.  Boris fled inside and Adam's gun jammed.  After reloading the gun, Adam found Goran Vasic, saying "you too, dog", before shooting him twice in the head.  Adam then walked into the venue and shot Boris once more, telling onlookers to stand aside and let him die.

At 4.52pm, Constable Caitlyn Jones attended the scene and arrested Adam.

The venue where the shooting occurred (source)

Victims' background

Boris, Goran and Adam were all drinking buddies and had regularly hung out at Players on Lygon for about four years before the murders.  Unfortunately, Adam suffered from schizophrenia and early on in 2010 began to harbour delusions that Boris and Goran had been spiking Adam's drink and anally raping him.

Boris was 60 years old when he was killed and left behind a wife.  Goran was 44 years old and left behind a fiancee.

Convicted's background

At the time of sentencing, Adam was 54 years old.  He was born in Karabakh (a territory which is fought over by Armenia and Azerbaijan).  The son of a dental technician and a factory worker, he also trained as a dental technician.  Following completion of his studies, Adam served two years in compulsory military service.  He was commuting to Uzbekistan for work when he met his wife.  They married in 1986 and had a son in 1988, settling in Armenia.

However, Armenia was soon caught up in civil war and Adam and his family fled to Russia as refugees.  He came to Brisbane in 1997 on his own.  Shortly after this time Adam began to present with paranoid schizophrenia, undergoing hospitalisation in 1997 and 1999.  Adam's wife and son arrived in Australia around 2000-2001.  The marriage dissolved in 2004.

Adam moved to Melbourne, hoping for a fresh start.  However, although being treated for mental illness, he ended up on heroin after moving into housing commission flats in Carlton. In 2009 he underwent methadone treatment.  While Adam's GP had concerns for his mental health in late 2009, he was not treated again for schizophrenia until after the murders in August 2010.

Court sketch of Adam Kosian (source)

Outcome of trial

While Adam admitted his part in the murder and cooperated with police, the matter still proceeded by trial because he relied on a defence of mental impairment.  This was unsuccessful and a jury returned a guilty verdict.

Sentence

Adam was sentenced to a total of 20 years before eligible for parole, 25 years max.  For each victim, Adam received a sentence of 17 years but because they occurred in a single incident the judge allowed for a substantial amount of time to be served concurrently.

You can read the judgment here and news articles here and here.

One Minute Mates - Next Minute Dead

Crime: Murder
Occurred: 9 March 2009
Sentenced: 8 September 2011
Where: 7 Dalgety Street, Preston
Convicted: David Allan Curran
Victim: Vinicio Cervi

What happened
Vinicio (Vince) and David were mates.  Over the years, their living arrangements had varied, and it ended up that Vince was living in an apartment in David's factory lot in Coburg and David was living in Vinicio's home in Preston.  They agreed to move out of each other's homes and return to their own.
During the moving process things got heated.  Vince was upset that David had left his house so messy.  Then at the Coburg factory, David moved Vince's trailer and damaged it.  When Vince found out he yelled obscenities at David infront of some prospective buyers of David's factory.  David remained very calm to the abuse.  However, he went over to Vince's property later that evening, armed with a semi-automatic pistol.  The two got into a fist fight in the front yard.  David fired four shots, hitting Vince twice: once in the leg and once in the abdomen, which perforated his aorta.  He died at the scene.

A heavyweight champion, Vince is pictured on the right.

Victim's background
Vince, a former Australian Heavyweight Champion, died aged 41.  He was a professional boxer and carpenter by trade.  He left behind his de facto partner, siblings and his mother. He was much bigger than David and it is thought he was gaining the upperhand in the brawl they were having before he was shot.  The judge considered Vince's girlfriend an unreliable witness during the trial because she gave evidence that she witnessed the shooting but on cross-examination admitted to lying (to make it more confusing, the judge observed her hostility to the defence barrister was such that she admitted to lying to things that were probably not even lies).  During the shooting she was inside the house protecting her eight year old son, Blake, who also gave evidence at trial.  
Vince has his own wikipedia page here.

David as sketched in court.

David's background

David was 45 at the time of the shooting.  The youngest sibling of six, he left school after completing Year 10 and worked in panel beating, running his own business from the age of 23.  He later went on to own and run a gym.  David was at one time Vince's boxing trainer and boxed until his arm and wrist were injured in a car accident when he was 20.
David had several prior convictions for aggravated burglary, intentionally threatening serious injury and four incidents of assault.  He has battled an alcohol problem.  He has fathered three children to three different women and been married twice.  The judge noted in sentencing that David had turned over a new leaf since 2000 (his last conviction) and had become a supportive father to his children.  His son, Darcy, was described as a "troubled youth" and has been getting into more trouble without his father around to keep him in line.
The judge also recognised that David has a generous spirit, providing assistance to a friend with two young children who had sustained brain damage in a car accident, accommodation to a friend who had become homeless, helping out friends whose houses burnt down on Black Saturday, training a troubled youngster in his gym and financially assisting Vince, who had money problems.

Outcome of trial: David pleaded not guilty to murder but a jury found otherwise. He continues to maintain his innocence.

Sentence:  15 years before eligible for parole (19 years max).

You can read the judgement here. Media coverage is available here and here.

Vince's funeral. The Rocky theme played as he was carried out of the Alphington  church.