Michael Purse’s killers David Young and Edwin Hinrichsen jailed for 11 years
Two men have been jailed for killing Michael Purse while his family remains grief-stricken as the whereabouts of his remains are kept hidden by the callous pair.
Police & Courts
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The men who killed missing man Michael Purse will be behind bars for at least a decade after showing no sympathy in the brutal and callous attack.
Edwin James Hinrichsen and David Graham Young were jailed in the Supreme Court on Monday, with Mr Purse’s father saying he hopes his son’s body is found one day.
During sentencing, the court heard the men’s co-accused allegedly demanded $10,000 from Mr Purse for a drug debt in February 2019.
The court heard the co-accused allegedly drove Mr Purse to Young’s Kilburn unit, where he and Hinrichsen were present, before allegedly binding him with duct tape.
The co-accused allegedly told Hinrichsen Mr Purse was “a dog” and Hinrichsen, who weighed no less than 100kg, then jumped on his torso.
The court heard the co-accused allegedly stabbed Mr Purse with a knife and choked him with a headphones cord.
Young repeatedly punched Mr Purse “while he was bound and on the ground, wailing”, placed him in a headlock and disposed of his body “after several unsuccessful attempts”.
Prosecutors accepted that Mr Purse most likely died after allegedly being stabbed and choked by the third man.
Mr Purse’s body has never been found.
“You are therefore responsible for the exacerbation of the grief and distress of Michael’s family because they have been robbed of the opportunity to properly mourn his passing,” Chief Justice Chris Kourakis said.
The court heard the men made attempts to conceal evidence, including relaying tiles in the house and purchasing the same type of car to replace the one used to dispose of Mr Purse’s body.
In August, Mr Purse’s mother, Donna Ipers told the court she wanted to forgive Hinrichsen and Young for their crime, but could not.
In her victim impact statement, Ms Ipers – who travelled to court from her home in Germany – said her life had been on hold for four years, ever since Mr Purse went missing.
“I had thoughts that probably don’t make sense to others … in winter I worried about Michael being cold even though I knew he was dead, I worried about fires in the summer that could destroy his remains.
“I would like to be one of those people who can forgive what they’ve done – not for them but for myself – but I can’t even think about it without Michael’s remains being found.”
In February, Hinrichsen, 39, and Young, 42, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on what was scheduled to be the first day of their murder trial.
The duo’s confessions halted the case while police renewed their search for Mr Purse and delayed the trial of the co-accused, who had maintained his plea of not guilty, until next year.
The court heard Hinrichsen, who had limited recollection of the incident, was on a methamphetamine binge at the time of the offending.
The court previously heard Young was often “in tears” thinking about his actions and has told a psychologist that Mr Purse’s death “was so needless, I feel for his family”.
Chief Justice Kourakis said Mr Purse was “vulnerable and outnumbered” during the “brutal and callous” assaults but neither men showed any sympathy for him.
He sentenced Young to 11 years and 10 months, with a non-parole period of nine years and six months.
The sentence was backdated to September 29, 2022.
Hinrichsen was sentenced to 11 years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of nine years and one month.
The sentence was backdated to April 28, 2021.
Outside court, Mr Purse’s father, Jeffrey Purse said the family was "reasonably satisfied” with the sentence.
“Unfortunately we don't have Michael at this stage but hopefully that will change in the future,” he said.
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