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A north Queensland man has been sentenced to life behind bars after he was found guilty of murdering 25-year-old Michael McCabe over an alleged drug debt in 2015.
- Mr McCabe was last seen by his family in Charters Towers in August 2015
- Police found Mr McCabe's decaying body in a remote area of bush wrapped in a carpet
- Defence Barrister Harvey Walters, who represented Huxley, said his client would be appealing the verdict
Brent Malcolm Huxley, 35, showed no emotion as the jury handed down the verdict in the Supreme Court in Townsville on Wednesday.
Mr McCabe was last seen by his family in Charters Towers in August 2015.
The court heard during the trial that Mr McCabe was assaulted by a group at a Townsville unit in August 2015.
Police found Mr McCabe's decaying body in a remote area of bush wrapped in a carpet in the Crystal Creek region, about 80 kilometres north of Townsville, on September 17, 2015.
An autopsy of Mr McCabe's body found broken bones and fractures, including a blow to his skull, with allegations he was struck by a rock.
"There was no chance of rescue there was no chance of escape," Crown Prosecutor Greg Cummings told the court prior to sentencing.
"One could infer he was conscious for at least some time he was in the boot of that car, one can barely imagine the anguish he must have endued during that boot ride as he came to realise that he was about to die."
Co-accused Matthew Rewha was found not guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm.
Leonie Doyle, who was also on trial, was sentenced to four years in prison after she was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact.
Doyle is scheduled for release from prison in February 2020 taking into account time already served.
Today's sentence marked the end of a painful chapter for Mr McCabe's father, Danny McCabe.
In a victim impact statement, Mr McCabe told the court he has been emotionally and financially crippled by the death of his son.
"I carry around with me a sense of guilt that I am alive, and my son is dead," he said.
"You murdered Mick that night, you also murdered generations of our family and you did it voluntarily ... you tossed Mick away like trash," he said.
Outside court, the family said it hoped the result would allow them to move on with their lives.
"It's hard to handle but we've just got to fight for Michael and we won, we won," mother Kathryn McCabe said.
"He'll live on in my grandson. I love him. I miss him every day.
"We've got to go out to the cemetery every Sunday to see him, they go out to a prison to see them," she said.
The crown case centred on evidence suggesting the motive for the murder was linked to money.
Throughout the five-week trial the jury heard from more than 72 witnesses, with Justice David North describing it as a "marathon trial".
In handing down his sentence for Huxley, Justice North said it was a brutal and savage killing.
"It was heartless in the circumstances, there has been no sign of remorse on your part," he said.
"I note from the victim impact statement read to the court by McCabe's father the deep loss that has been suffered by family and friends."
Defence Barrister Harvey Walters, who represented Huxley, said outside court his client would be appealing the verdict.
Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, crime, courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, townsville-4810, qld, australia, charters-towers-4820, brisbane-4000
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