The trial of a man accused of murdering four people during a rampage through Darwin in 2019 is expected to resume after a two-day delay.

November 2, 2021

The trial of a love-sick man accused of murdering four people during a drug-fuelled shooting spree across Darwin is set to resume after a two-day delay.

Benjamin Glenn Hoffmann, 47, has pleaded not guilty to committing four murders in less than an hour at four locations on June 4, 2019.

The Crown says the 47-year-old was searching for his ex-girlfriend, Kelly Collins, and a man she said she loved, Alex Deligiannis, when the killings happened.

Prosecutor Lloyd Babb SC says Hoffmann’s first victim, Hassan Baydoun, 33, was fatally shot four times at the Palms Motel in central Darwin.

Hoffman then allegedly shot Nigel Hellings through the front door at the 75-year-old’s apartment block about 800m away.

Michael Sisois, 57, was next to die after he was shot in the head in the car park at the nearby Buff Club bar and restaurant.

Hoffmann is also accused of murdering Rob Courtney, 52, at an industrial yard at Darwin Recycling about 2.5km away.

Mr Deligiannis had previously visited three of the locations regularly.

The court has heard Hoffmann, who suffers an anti-social personality disorder, was high on methamphetamine during the rampage.

He was arrested after he called police and admitted one of the killings as he requested help from officers.

In the days after the shootings, Hoffmann expressed no remorse during interviews with mental health workers and admitted he may have killed innocent people.

He also remained unsure if he’d killed Mr Deligiannis and didn’t report feeling guilty during interviews but he was embarrassed.

He also told a social worker that Ms Collins had been sexually abused and he had acted to protect her.

She and Hoffmann met in early 2019 in a drug rehab centre, where the pair made plans to move in together after they left the program

But two weeks before the shootings, Ms Collins sent Hoffmann a text message saying she was in love with Mr Deligiannis.

“Hoffy, I love Alex,” she wrote.

Hoffmann initially responded with a series of humorous texts but in the days after, his demeanour changed and he repeatedly told workmates he was going to “blow (Alex’s) head off”.

The trial will resume on Tuesday following a delay for the prosecution’s psychiatric expert to prepare a report.

Hoffmann has also pleaded not guilty to 10 other serious charges, including threatening to kill and recklessly endangering life.