Ex-partner of SA murder victim Steven Murphy labels killer a 'heartless pig'
Keith Yandle, 48, of Kudla, was previously found guilty by a Supreme Court jury of the murder of the 38-year-old, who was found buried at the Kudla property in April 2023.
He previously pleaded guilty to firearms offences and destroying human remains. He also pleaded guilty to the manslaughter or Mr Murphy, but that plea was not accepted by the prosecution.
Mr Murphy's ex-partner, and mother of his two sons, Danielle Rogers delivered a victim impact statement to the court on Monday.
"You destroyed his family and I want you to suffer and feel guilt and regret for what you have done to a family who did nothing to you."
Ms Rogers said the most "painful" part was having to see her "boys in pain".
"All they want is their dad back," she said.
"I can't fix the missing piece, it shatters my heart to know that I can't fix their broken heart."
Mr Murphy's mother Deb Murphy also delivered a victim impact statement to the court saying she feels "hopeless and despair" since her son's murder.
"It is hard to put my feelings and expression into words," she said.
"It's like I'm on a roller coaster and I can't get off."
Prosecutor Melissa Wilkinson told the court that on February 19, 2023, Yandle entered the shed at the back of his property "intending to kill" Mr Murphy.
"In my submission, the defendant wanted to catch Mr Murphy, he did not seek the police's assistance to deal with a trespasser, he took the law into his own hands.
"He left his house with a loaded semi-automatic rifle and he had his son attend the shed with a baseball bat.
"The defendant was ready for a confrontation in the shed and he was ready to attack in the shed.
"In my submission, it is likely that he had seen from the CCTV feed in the house that Mr Murphy had returned to his shed that night."
During Ms Wilkinson's submissions, Mr Yandle became agitated and had an outburst, before quickly being told to remain quiet by Justice Anne Bampton.
"Can you prove that? That's a lie, that's a lie," he screamed out.
Ms Wilkinson continued to tell the court that, after shooting Mr Murphy four times, Yandle watched over him as he died.
"His lack of conduct and lack of assistance supports the conclusion that the defendant was intending to kill Mr Murphy," she said.
"In my submission, the nature of his conduct was callous and showed complete disregard for Mr Murphy and his family.
"The conduct in murdering Mr Murphy, and its aftermath, was calculated, ruthless and inhumane."
She also said that if it had not been for Yandle's brother alerting police to the events of that night, it is likely Mr Murphy's body would have never been found.
Defence barrister James Marcus, for Yandle, told the court his client's lack of assistance to Mr Murphy can be "accurately captured by the words disgraceful and reprehensible", but that he hadn't entered the shed with the intent to kill.
"Ultimately this was, in terms of the actual commission of the offence of murder, a spur of the moment decision to shoot," he said.
"To suggest an overarching plan to kill him, is not the correct characterisation of what happened."
Mr Marcus said Yandle has good prospects of rehabilitation because of his lack of prior offending and the support he still has from his family.
Outside court on Monday, Mr Murphy's uncle Sean Murphy, who used to work as a corrections officer in Victoria, said he had met "some pretty vile characters" but that "up until today I didn't think anyone could disgust me much more".
"I didn't take my eyes off him (in court) because I couldn't believe that such a disgusting organism exists on the face of the earth," he said.
"He should go away for the rest of his life and die… hopefully he's an old man in jail so that he can suffer for all those years… death would be too good for him.
"He has no remorse and still no accountability for his own actions."
Yandle faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment, and will be handed a non-parole period at a sentencing hearing in July.
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