Accused triple murderer Darryl Young allegedly demanded four of his neighbours meet him at the border of his property after a disagreement about cattle before three of them were shot dead, a court has heard.
The 63-year-old is charged with murder over allegedly gunning down neighbours Merv and Maree Schwarz and Maree’s son Graham Tighe, and attempting to murder Ross Tighe at the front gate of his property at Bogie, on August 4, 2022.
Queensland Ambulance Service critical care paramedic Katrina Taylor took the witness stand Thursday afternoon – day four of the trial against Young – describing the moment she arrived at the scene in 2022.
Earlier on Thursday Kaitlin Jordan, the ex-partner of shooting survivor Ross Tighe, took the witness stand.
Young has pleaded not guilty to all charges and his barrister Anthony Kimmins has argued that Young was not present when the four family members were shot.
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MOMENT PARAMEDIC FOUND BODIES AT SCENE
3.33PM: The paramedic who first treated an injured Ross Tighe before attending the scene of the alleged triple murder has taken the stand and told the jury how Mr Tighe had a penetrating wound to his stomach.
Queensland Ambulance Service critical care paramedic Katrina Taylor told the jury she first received a page about a serious incident about 9am on August 4, 2022 while at a breakfast meeting in Collinsville.
Ms Taylor told the jury the incident came through as a category 1a code – a lights and sirens incident where the severity is the most severe.
The jury was told Ms Taylor got in her ambulance and arrived at Flagstone Station about 10.03am where she found the patient – Ross Tighe – in the back of a car.
The jury heard on Wednesday that Shane Dendle drove Mr Tighe to the nearby station after finding him injured and allegedly shot.
Ms Taylor said she cut Mr Tighe’s shirt off his body and saw a 1-2cm penetrating wound in his abdomen.
The jury was told Ms Taylor treated Mr Tighe and made him comfortable in her ambulance before he was loaded into a helicopter and flown to hospital in Mackay.
Ms Taylor told the jury that she was also one of the paramedics who attended the scene at the Shannonvale property gates – where Mervyn Schwarz, Maree Schwarz and Graham Tighe were found dead.
The jury was told Ms Taylor observed all three people dead with penetrating head injuries.
Ms Taylor said one body was located on the ground near the gate – feet facing towards Shannonvale – and another body on the ground beside a maroon ute parked away from the gate.
Another body was located inside this car.
Ms Taylor also said two hats were found on the ground near the bodies.
WITNESS QUIZZED OVER ALLEGED PHONE CALL
1.56PM: Kaitlin Jordan told the jury her former partner did not inherit anything after his brother, mother and stepfather were allegedly shot to death by neighbour Darryl Young.
Ross Tighe has said he fled the scene after watching Young shoot Merv Schwarz in the head before turning the rifle on Maree Schwarz, Graham Tighe and himself.
Young’s defence barrister Anthony Kimmins quizzed Ms Jordan about any money Ross had received after the deaths including if he had inherited anything.
“No,” she said.
Mr Kimmins also asked if Ms Jordan was aware Mr Tighe “commenced an action against Darryl for the injuries he suffered as a result of this”.
“Yes I am, so he should,” Ms Jordan said.
“Do you know how much Ross was seeking?” Mr Kimmins asked.
“I have no idea, that’s none of my business,” Ms Jordan said.
She said she also knew Mr Tighe had filed a workers compensation claim and for Victims Assist.
She said she did not know when workers compensation payments began or how much he received from Victims Assist.
Mr Kimmins also questioned Ms Jordan over the alleged phone call between Ross’s brother Graham Tighe and Young the night before the shootings.
Ms Jordan said she had been “just standing there in silence” when Graham put his mobile on speaker and said “I’m f–king sick of this shit too, Darryl”.
“He was just pissed off because he’s just sick of the clown,” Ms Jordan said, when Mr Kimmins asked if that was the first thing she’d heard out of Graham’s mouth
Mr Kimmins grilled her about the words Young had allegedly used, but she maintained he had demanded that Graham, Ross, Merv and Maree meet at the front gate of Shannonvale at 8am.
Mr Kimmins suggested to Ms Jordan that she was not present for the phone call and did not hear any conversation.
“That’s not a great suggestion,” Ms Jordan said.
Ms Jordan concluded her evidence and was excused. The court has broken for lunch and will return at 2.30pm.
‘LIKE A HORROR MOVIE IN MY HEAD’
12.43PM: The ex-partner of Ross Tighe has told a jury that what she witnessed plays like a “horror movie” in her head.
Kaitlin Jordan – under cross-examination by Young’s defence barrister Anthony Kimmins – also told the jury that discussions were underway for Mr Tighe to take over the family’s Roma property before “everyone’s lives got tragically taken”.
Mr Tighe told the jury on Wednesday there was a plan for him to take over the family’s 10,500 acre Roma property, where he was working as the manager of the station.
On Thursday, Ms Jordan said a meeting had been scheduled with an accountant to discuss the matter the week after the shooting.
“It was all under discussion before their lives were tragically taken,” Ms Jordan said.
“We didn’t get there because they got killed… we were about to have a meeting with an accountant about it all, but they got shot.
“We were meant to have a meeting with the accountant a week after everyone’s lives got tragically taken.”
Ms Jordan has also told the jury about her interactions with Young, saying he “lingers around on his buggy spying on everybody”.
Mr Kimmins also asked Ms Jordan whether Graham Tighe was the “golden haired boy” or the “favourite son”.
“No, no one was the favourite, they (Mervyn and Maree) were wonderful parents.”
Mr Kimmins asked Ms Jordan whether her memory was “somewhat vague because of the time that had gone by”.
“No it’s like a movie in my head. A horror movie,” Ms Jordan said.
Mr Kimmins also pulled out personal text messages between Ms Jordan and her ex-partner, Mr Tighe.
The text messages – which were also shown to the jury on Wednesday while Mr Tighe was cross-examined – contained conversations between the pair about cannabis use, money, and other personal matters.
Ms Jordan was asked about a text message sent by her to Ross stating: “You had a good kick on you, too” and stating she had “bruises” on her ribs and neck.
“That’s when Ross and I had an altercation and I called the police,” Ms Jordan said.
Ms Jordan said the injuries she referred to in the messages weren’t from Mr Tighe, and that it “could have been from me, I was carrying on”.
YOUNG’S ALLEGED DEMAND NIGHT BEFORE SHOOTING
11.10AM Darryl Young allegedly demanded four of his neighbours meet him at the border of his property after a disagreement about cattle, the jury has been told.
Kaitlin Jordan, the ex-partner of sole survivor Ross Tighe told the court she heard Mr Young on the phone to Graham Tighe the night before.
Ms Jordan said she recognised Young’s voice and heard him say “I’m sick of all of this” and “I want to meet with you”.
She said Graham invited Young to meet them the next morning when they were going to muster the property.
She told the court Young said “No you will meet me at the border of Shannonvale at the front” and “it will be you, your brother, Merv and Maree”.
“He reiterated three times before that conversation ended,” Ms Jordan said.
Ms Jordan also told the jury how she saw her ex-partner Ross Tighe with a “bullet hole in his stomach” after he returned from the alleged meeting with Young the next day.
Ms Jordan had been staying with Ross Tighe at the family’s cattle property Sutherland station when the shooting occurred.
She described how contract musterer Shane Dendle had driven a truck “very fast” into the property that morning.
“I thought that he must have forgotten something,” she said.“He stopped the truck very quickly and he raced out… to where I was standing.”
Kaitlin became emotional on the stand as she was asked to recall what happened that morning.
“I raced over to the truck,” she said.
“Ross laying in the back wounded.”
Crown prosecutor David Nardone asked Ms Jordan why she thought he was wounded.
“Because he had a bullet hole in his stomach,” she said.
She told the court Mr Tighe had “lifted his shirt up and showed me”.
“Did you see blood?” Mr Nardone asked.
“Yes,” she said, further clarifying there was not a lot of blood.