{"id":73162,"date":"2026-08-16T15:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T15:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/73162\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T15:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T15:36:19","slug":"accused-killer-carried-on-with-day-to-day-cattle-station-operations-after-allegedly-gunning-down-three-family-members-jury-hears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/73162\/","title":{"rendered":"Accused killer carried on with day-to-day cattle station operations after allegedly gunning down three family members, jury hears"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jurors in a triple murder trial have heard accused killer Darryl Young casually carried on with the day-to-day operations of his North Queensland cattle station after allegedly gunning down three family members from the neighbouring property whom he\u2019d accused of stealing livestock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jurors heard Mr Young took a daytime nap while seated in his side-by-side ATV buggy and, under the direction of police communicating via mobile phone, posed for selfies with two wind farm workers while faraway law enforcement officers gathered evidence about the shooting.<\/p>\n

The 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty to shooting dead Sutherland Station owners Merv Schwarz, Maree Schwarz and Ms Schwarz\u2019s son Graham Tighe about 8am on August 4, 2022.<\/p>\n

The Townsville Supreme Court has heard Mr Young called Graham Tighe the night before the shooting and demanded his family meet him at the front gate of his property, Shannonvale Station, to resolve the cattle duffing dispute.<\/p>\n

The court heard Mr Young declared he\u2019d \u201cend this once and for all\u201d before fetching a high-calibre rifle from his farm ute and firing upon the Tighe-Schawrz family at close range, killing three.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Tighe\u2019s younger brother, Ross Tighe, who managed to escape and survive the shooting despite taking a bullet to the abdomen.<\/p>\n

Giving evidence as a prosecution witness during the first week of the trial, Mr Young\u2019s son, Derek Young, described how two project managers from a windfarm company became caught up in the chaos.<\/p>\n

The court heard the windfarm workers happened to be at Shannonvale Station as part of a prospective renewable energy project to install 43 turbines on the property, for which the Young family stood to receive $1.5 million in compensation.<\/p>\n

Derek Young said he was \u201cexcited\u201d and keen to help \u201cthe wind farm boys\u201d erect a wind surveying apparatus on a Shannonvale Station mountain range on the morning of the shooting.<\/p>\n

After directing the wind farm workers to a mountain peak \u201cright up in the high country\u201d, Derek Young said his father Darryl arrived soon after in a side-by-side ATV farm buggy with his grandfather\u2019s partner, Sharon Brush, in the passenger seat.<\/p>\n

Defence barrister Tony Kimmins asked during cross-examination, \u201cWhen you came back up and spoke to he and Sharon, did you note any change in Darryl\u2019s demeanour at all?\u201d to which Derek Young replied \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t seem to be any different from when you\u2019d seen him earlier that day?\u201d Mr Kimmins asked.<\/p>\n

Mr Young replied, \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Young told the court the whole group \u2013 he, his father, Sharon and the two wind farm workers \u2013 were all taken into custody later that day by police responding to the shooting at the front gate.<\/p>\n

The two wind farm workers, Liam Parnell and Matt Garbutt from Sydney and Brisbane respectively, have both given evidence in the trial.<\/p>\n

They described how Darryl Young, Derek Young and Sharon Brush were present on the mountain ridge and \u201cobserving\u201d as they set up a large contraption which would be used to \u201cmeasure the wind resource\u201d on Shannonvale over a 12-month period.<\/p>\n

They told the court they learned of the shooting about 11am via a phone call from their renewable energy company supervisor, and then began relaying information on their whereabouts and activity to police.<\/p>\n

“I was asked (by police) to take photos and send them across. It was just a selfie of all of us up there,\u201d Liam Parnell said.<\/p>\n

Two selfie images shown to the jury depict the two wind farm workers and the three Young family members huddled together on a mountain range, smiling and giving thumbs up.<\/p>\n

The two windfarm workers recounted eventually being directed by police to travel together in one vehicle down to the Shannonvale front gate \u2013 the scene of the shooting \u2013 where they were met by a police Special Emergency Response Team and taken into custody.<\/p>\n

The trial continues.<\/p>\n

Read related topics:Police & Courts<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jurors in a triple murder trial have heard accused killer Darryl Young casually carried on with the 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