Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Jury still out on Qld toolbox murder trial
A Brisbane jury is set to resume deliberating at a trial for a man accused of murdering two people, who were forced into a toolbox and dumped in a creek.
February 21, 2020
A jury is expected to begin a fourth day of deliberations in the trial of a man accused of murdering two drug dealers, who were forced into a toolbox and dumped into a creek.
Cory Breton’s and Iuliana Triscaru’s decomposing bodies were found in a large metal box at Scrubby Creek, south of Brisbane, on February 11, 2016.
Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, 28, pleaded not guilty to murdering the pair after they were lured to a townhouse in Kingston 18 days earlier and assaulted by a group of his mates.
The Supreme Court jury retired to consider the verdict on Tuesday and had not come to a decision by late Thursday when Justice Peter Davis sent them home.
The Crown has argued that Tahiata’s Toyota Hilux ute was used to drive the box, with Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru inside, to the water, where he helped drag it off the vehicle.
He also allegedly fired off a round from a shotgun to quieten down the pair screaming from inside the toolbox as another man was pushing it into the water.
Tahiata then handed the other man a claw hammer to punch holes in the box to help it sink, the court heard.
Prosecutor David Meredith says his actions were “breathtakingly evil” and constituted murder because he encouraged the other man to kill Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru.
The jury will resume deliberating on Friday.