Mother of murder Liam Humbles tells Lewis McPherson inquest ‘it’s done, the boy is dead for f--k’s sake’

THE mother of murderer Liam Humbles has broken down under repeated questioning during an inquest, saying the matter was “done” because the victim was “dead for f--k’s sake”.

• The inquest: Police missed multiple chances to seize gun
• The killer: Liam Humbles jailed for at least 24 years for murder
• The gun supplier: Eight-year sentence for providing gun

THE mother of murderer Liam Humbles has broken down under repeated questioning during an inquest, saying the matter was “done” because the victim was “dead for f--k’s sake”.

An emotional and angry Elizabeth Humbles has told the Coroner’s Court her son was an “outrageous and unbelievably-hard-to-control time bomb” months before he murdered Lewis McPherson.

She said she disowned her son after months of escalating violence, culminating in him threatening his father with a knife.

Ms Humbles said she wanted police to arrest her son and have him medically or mentally assessed, but they declined to do so.

Emotional and angry, Ms Humbles insisted Mr McPherson’s family weren’t the only ones suffering as she had “been through hell”.

“I blame myself, of course I f--king do. I blame myself every f--king day. It’s done, it’s over, the boy is dead for f--k’s sake,” she said.

Despite claiming, on the night of the murder, police “knew” her son had a gun and “did nothing”, she repeatedly denied she was aware he was armed.

However, she admitted she knew he and his friends were using drugs.

“I knew it was wrong, the police wouldn’t help me, no one would help me ... it was a time bomb,” she said.

“I’d had enough ... at this time, before the (murder) I had disowned my son, it was that bad.

“We tried (but) he was so outrageous and so unbelievably hard to control.”

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Liam Humbles’ mother, Elizabeth Humbles, leaves the Coroner’s Court. Picture: Greg Higgs

Mark McPherson outside the Coroner’s Court. Picture: Greg Higgs.

Humbles, 21, is serving a life sentence for murdering Mr McPherson and attempting to murder two of his friends.

Mr McPherson and Humbles had attended the same school, but were not friends.

At the time of the crime, Humbles was emotional about an argument with a friend, under the influence of drugs and had a blood alcohol reading of between 0.252 and 0.284.

As exclusively revealed by The Advertiser, Humbles’ gun had been provided by Charles Alexander Cullen, who has never disclosed from where he obtained the weapon.

Cullen was jailed for eight years, prompting new laws under which illegal gun sellers are prosecuted as accomplices to the crimes committed with their weapons.

So far, the inquest has heard police had four opportunities in five months to seize Humbles’ gun.

They were unable to do so, however, because the officer who first dealt with his case made no record of two tip-offs that the young drug dealer was armed.

On Wednesday, Mrs Humbles repeatedly became emotional — and at times angry — while giving evidence.

She conceded she prioritised her other children over Humbles as his behaviour worsened.

That decision was backed by him being caught by drug sniffer dogs, threatening his father with a knife and smashing her computer.

She said they took out an intervention order so that, when bailed, he could not live at home — agreeing she was scared of her own son.

“Police were called multiple times — you should know this,” she said.

“At the time I didn’t care where he lived so long as it wasn’t with me, destroying my life.

“I’m stressed too, it’s not just their family (the McPhersons) ... I’ve been through hell as well.”

Mrs Humbles said she went to the police station, on the night of the murder, believing her son was the one who had been shot.

“Though at the time I had withdrawn my attention from my son I was going to be there, I’m still his frigging mother,” she said.

Police records, tendered in court, record her as saying: “It’s all your fault this happened, you knew he had a gun and you did nothing about it.”

Mrs Humbles said she could not remember saying that, and insisted she did not know her son was armed prior to the murder.

“Oh my God, I had no idea,” she said.

Earlier on Wednesday, three people who were living with Liam Humbles when he murdered Lewis McPherson failed to attend the inquest.

Despite being served with summons by SA Police, Suzanne Tilly and her sons, John and Joseph Tilly-Griffin, did not attend the Coroners Court on Wednesday morning.

The trio had been called to give evidence about their knowledge of Humbles’ .22 calibre handgun in the months prior to him murdering Mr McPherson on December 31, 2012.

Ms Tilly later arrived on Wednesday afternoon.

So far, other witnesses have told the inquest Humbles was living at their home in the days leading up to the murder — and suggested Ms Tilly bought drugs from the teenager.

Also on Wednesday, a witness revealed his grandmother was the first person to alert authorities to the fact Humbles was armed.

Dylan Woollard said his grandmother, Pauline, had called Brighton Secondary School — which Humbles had attended — to report he was selling drugs and had a gun.

As exclusively revealed by The Advertiser in July 2014, her call and the school’s subsequent action put police on notice about Humbles 191 days prior to Mr McPherson’s death.

Outside court Mr McPherson’s father, Mark, said he was grateful to Ms Woollard.

“Thank you, thank you — at least somebody did that, and I thank her,” he said.

“In all of this there was at least one person who did that.

“Just how many opportunities were there for people to take control (of the situation) before it (the murder) happened?”

Transcript of a CrimeStoppers call about Liam Humbles. Source: Coroner’s Court.

In his evidence on Wednesday, Mr Woollard said he never personally saw Humbles’ gun despite having shared a house with him for a short time.

He also said he did not see the gun on the day Humbles fired it inside the house, having first pointed it at his own head while angry and suicidal.

Mr Woollard said Humbles had been “a really good, down-to-earth kid” until he started using drugs, which left him “a mess, so to speak”.

Mr Woollard said his grandmother, Pauline, somehow became aware of the gun — likely from one of his sisters.

“I never spoke to my grandmother about the gun, but she found out before the shooting (of Mr McPherson),” he said.

“I only found out (that she knew) after New Year’s, when she said she’d told the principal of the school and was making a police report.”

He said he would never have approached police about the gun, but would have confirmed Humbles was armed had an officer asked him.

Dylan Woollard outside the Coroner’s Court. Picture: Greg Higgs

“I was afraid of the people who gave Liam the gun, whoever they were ... I didn’t know who they were or who they knew,” he said.

Anthony Keane, for SA Police, suggested Mr Woollard was being untruthful on that matter.

“You’ve told us this because that’s the answer we want to hear and because it’s in your best interests,” he said.

Mr Woollard agreed at first, then said Mr Keane was “twisting my words”.

Ms Tilly and her sons were due to give evidence after Mr Woollard but did not attend court.

Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel declined to issue arrest warrants, instead ordering fresh summons be issued and all three appear to give evidence on Thursday.

He said that, if they did not attend again, he would have them arrested.

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