Queensland farmer Darryl Valroy Young has been found guilty of murdering three neighbours during a dispute over livestock at a cattle station near Bowen.
The 63-year-old was convicted on Friday of killing Mervyn Schwarz, 71, his wife Maree, 59, and her son Graham Tighe, 35, at the gate of Shannonvale Station in Bogie on 4 August 2022.
Jurors reached unanimous verdicts on the three murder charges after deliberating for 15 hours over three days in the Supreme Court in Townsville.
They have not yet reached a decision on a fourth charge alleging that Young attempted to murder Graham Tighe’s brother, Ross, who survived the shooting. Justice Christopher Johnstone has directed the jury to continue considering that charge.
Prosecutors said Young had accused the Schwarz and Tighe family of stealing cattle before arranging to meet them at the property. The court heard he repeated the allegations shortly before returning to his vehicle, retrieving a rifle and opening fire.
Ross Tighe told the trial that he witnessed the attack and was shot before fleeing in a vehicle to seek help. Doctors later told the court that he could have died from blood loss or infection without medical treatment.
Young, who was described during the trial as the “Beast of Bogie”, denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all four charges. His defence argued that he was not at the gate when the family was shot and maintained that he had an alibi.
The jury also heard competing accounts about Young’s relationship with the victims. While prosecutors pointed to the livestock dispute and evidence concerning ammunition found at his property, Young insisted he had enjoyed an “excellent” relationship with Graham Tighe and had never quarrelled with Ross.
Young showed no emotion as the guilty verdicts were read. Relatives and friends of the Schwarz and Tighe families were seen embracing and crying in the courtroom.
