Man who killed grandmother and retired officer not guilty due to mental illness
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A psychotic man who went on a deadly rampage that devastated two large families â including his own â in the NSW South Coast town of Bega has been found not guilty of murdering his grandmother and a retired policeman due to mental illness.
Murray Deakin, then 20, had already exhibited signs of schizophrenia and was a regular user of cannabis and LSD when he confronted and stabbed his grandparents, Gail and Thomas Winner, at their Bega home about 3pm on June 1, 2018.
A man who killed his grandmother and a retired police officer during a psychotic episode has been found not guilty of murder because of his mental illness.
Murray Deakin s bloody rampage began on June 1, 2018 when he discovered his motorbike had been moved from the driveway of the Bega house where he lived with his parents.
After asking his grandfather Thomas Winner where his bike was, he stabbed the older man with a pen-knife.
Murray Deakin (pictured) has been found not guilty of the horrific crimes as he could not tell right from wrong due to a psychotic episode caused by schizophrenia
Deadly rampage in Bega sparked by missing motorbike: court
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A troubled 20-year-old who flew into a rage when he couldn t find his motorbike and went on a deadly rampage, killing his grandmother and a retired police officer, was suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia at the time, the NSW Supreme Court has been told.
Murray Deakin, now 22, stands charged with two counts of murder and the attempted murder of his grandfather, as a judge-alone trial commenced in Sydney on Monday.
Murray Deakin s June 2018 rampage in Bega left his grandmother and a retired police officer dead.
09:58 EDT, 18 January 2021
Having already killed his grandmother and led police on two dangerous pursuits, Murray Deakin snarled when a retired police officer approached him on a country NSW road. Follow the code. you have to follow the code, the expressionless 20-year-old told Michael Mick Horne in June 2018.
He sighed when Mr Horne asked for his name and pulled a claw hammer from his backpack, striking the fleeing 54-year-old in the back of the head.
Melanie Horne witnessed her husband s final moments before Deakin ordered her out of the couple s ute and drove away.
Murray Deakin snarled when a retired police officer approached him on a country NSW road
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