Why coroners are still unable to determine who struck final blow in 2016 killing
In 2016, the body of 51 year old women Michelle Meades was found in the cupboard of a burnt out unit. Since then two people have been prosecuted, but a coroner has found there were conflicting facts in the cases. Content warning.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
There are conflicting facts in two separate criminal proceedings over the death of a Tasmanian woman who was forcefully beaten, stabbed and found dead in the closet of a burned out home in 2016, a coroner says.
Michelle Louise Meades (51) was stabbed 20 times in the neck with nail scissors and hit in the head with a golf club at a unit in Clarendon Vale after a dispute with Gary Matthews, a man she’d purchased ice from, and his associates, Kylie Hack and Danny Graham.
In September 2016 Ms Meades was confronted by Matthews, who accused her of telling people she’d been “ripped off” by “junkie dogs”.
She was punched and bashed in the head by Hack, allegedly under the direction of Matthews, before being stabbed in the neck with nail scissors and hit in the back of the head with a golf putter.
Exactly who stabbed Ms Meades and hit her with a golf club is disputed.
Ms Meade’s body was tied up and moved to the bathroom, the unit was cleaned and three days later Hack set fire to the unit.
A forensic pathologist found Ms Meades had died as a result of blunt force head injuries, stab wounds and gagging.
The pathologist found three of the stab wounds had penetrated Ms Meade’s right jugular vein.
He also found there was swelling and bleeding of the brain.
Hack, who claimed Matthews or Graham were responsible for the stabbing, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and perverting justice in 2019 and was sentenced to eight and a half years in jail backdated to September 2016, with a non parole period of five and a half years.
Graham admitted binding the body with rope, putting it in a cupboard and cleaning the scene, but denied any involvement in inflicting violence, alleging Hack acted alone.
He was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison with a non parole period of three years and nine months for being an accessory to murder and failing to report a killing of a person.
Matthews, who did not provide police with an account of the events, was charged with being an accessory after the fact of murder and failing to report the killing of a person.
In June last year he was discharged from further prosecution because the Director of Public Prosecution did not believe it was in the public interest to proceed against him.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart said there were “significantly conflicting” facts in the two sentencing proceedings.
“The sentence of Ms Hack in pleading guilty to manslaughter being based upon Mr Matthews and/or Mr Graham inflicting the most lethal violence upon Ms Meades, whilst Mr Graham’s sentence involved the fact of Ms Hack alone inflicting all of the violence upon Ms Meades,” Ms McTaggart said.
Ms McTaggart was unable to make a ruling around who struck the final blow.
“Ordinarily, the coroner’s role would be, in determining “how” death occurred, which
individual or individuals were responsible for inflicting the force that caused death and the
consequences of the particular actions.
“However, in this case I must not make a finding that is ‘inconsistent with the determination of the matter by the result of the criminal proceedings’.
“In light of the two convictions, it is likely that I would infringe this prohibition if I sought to
investigate further the actions of the persons present at the time of Ms Meades’ death.”
Ms McTaggart said it would be inappropriate to make further findings or to hold a public inquest.
More Coverage
Originally published as Why coroners are still unable to determine who struck final blow in 2016 killing
State last in population growth, new report shows
There are contrasting responses from Tasmania’s two main political parties regarding a new report that outlines how the state’s economy is performing against the rest of Australia.
Peak body’s $150m health budget plea
The state government should dedicate five per cent of the health budget to preventive health measures, TasCOSS says. Here’s why.