Toni Leanne Peacock pleads guilty to manslaughter, Cooper Lindsay Millard pleads guilty to murder

A boasting murderer believed he’d fooled police with an ‘Oscar worthy’ performance after he and his cunning girlfriend put a grisly end to a love triangle.

Cooper Lindsay Millard, 45, pleaded guilty to murder and Toni Leanne Peacock, 43, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Maryborough Supreme Court after admitting they had gone to the home of Mark Carson on April 3, 2021, with the intention of harming him.

After the brutal slaying of a volunteer firefighter at Pacific Haven, his former partner and her new lover tried to “orchestrate the scene” so it would look like the 58-year-old had harmed himself.

But their plan to disguise the killing as a suicide quickly fell apart and on Friday, Cooper Lindsay Millard, 45, pleaded guilty to murder and Toni Leanne Peacock, 43, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Maryborough Supreme Court after admitting they had gone to the home of Mark Carson on April 3, 2021, with the intention of harming him.

The two were initially due to stand trial for murder this week, but changed their pleas on the second day after a jury had been arraigned.

Peacock’s plea to the lesser charge was accepted by the prosecution.

On Friday, March 22, Millard was sentenced to life in prison, while Peacock will be sentenced on March 26, after Justice Peter Davis has time to consider the submissions made.

In front of Mr Carson’s heartbroken family, Crown prosecutor Chris Cook spoke of how a love triangle had formed between Mr Carson, Peacock and Millard before the killing.

The scene outside the Pacific Haven home on the day of Mark Carson's alleged murder.

Peacock had met Mr Carson through his work as a personal trainer and the two lived together for about a year, Mr Cook said.

But the relationship had broken down and Peacock became involved with Millard soon after.

Peacock, a mother of four, had made claims of domestic violence before Mr Carson’s death and had told another man, Nicholas Jewell, “I just want him dead”, the court was told.

The court heard Peacock and Millard were both using meth heavily around the time of the killing.

In one bizarre instance prior to Mr Carson’s death, a voice message had been left by Peacock to a pig farmer, which said they had killed Mr Carson, and asked if they could borrow his pig pen because they needed “the hungry piggy-os”.

“This is some Hollywood movie stuff to plan to feed him to pigs,” Mr Cook said.

In the wake of the relationship breakdown, Mr Carson had expressed thoughts of harming himself and had sought help for his mental health, the court heard.

The defendants then used this knowledge to attempt to paint the killing as a suicide, the court heard.

But in the lead-up to his death, Mr Carson was “doing quite well”, Mr Cook said, and was making plans to travel to Cairns.

The court heard both Millard and Peacock were unarmed when they went to Mr Carson’s home on the day he was killed.

Peacock went in first and had a coffee with Mr Carson and Millard entered the home later.

Toni Leanne Peacock with Cooper Lindsay Millard.

Mr Carson “fought for his life”, Mr Cook said, and Peacock armed herself with a screwdriver and stabbed him in the back.

She was the first one to arm herself, Mr Cook said.

Millard then used a knife to slash Mr Carson’s throat, a wound they would later claim was self-inflicted.

Mr Carson’s death “would have been relatively rapid”, the court heard.

During a call Millard then made to 000, Peacock could be heard in the background calling Mr Carson a “f--king coward” and saying he had taken his own life.

Peacock later attended Mr Carson’s funeral and told the mourners “I didn’t do it”, the court was told.

Millard seemed “proud of himself” after Mr Carson’s death and spoke of feeling “relief and satisfaction”.

He said he had “fooled police” and given an “Oscar-winning performance” in the weeks after Mr Carson’s murder, the court was told.

But police were far from fooled and six weeks after the killing, the two were arrested.

During the sentencing, Mr Cook described Millard as being “infatuated” with Peacock.

Mr Carson’s mother, Margaret Sheehan, his stepfather David Sheehan and brother Chris Carson all read their victim impact statements to the court, sharing the pain of their loss.

Mark Carson's mother Margaret and stepfather David Sheehan.

Barrister Ed Whitton, appearing on behalf of Millard, said the decision to kill Mr Carson was made in “the fog of prolific, long-term methamphetamine use” which had increased dramatically in the lead-up to the killing.

Mr Whitton said his client was remorseful, but Millard had specifically asked him not to make a huge issue of his personal remorse as he feared that would sound trite.

But Millard deeply regretted what he had done and the suffering he had caused, he said.

Mr Whitton said Millard had been deeply affected by the victim impact statements read out by Mr Carson’s family.

Barrister Kim Bryson, appearing for Peacock, said her client had known she and Millard were going to Mr Carson’s home to cause serious harm, but had not expected it to go as far as it had.

She said Peacock’s statement to Mr Jewell about wanting Mr Carson dead had to be considered in context as she had been confiding in him well before the killing about alleged domestic abuse and while she was “high on drugs”.

She said it was not open for the inference to be drawn that the contemplation of severe harm had started then.

Peacock’s parents were in court supporting her, Ms Bryson said.

Ms Bryson said Peacock did feel remorse for the killing of Mr Carson.

Mr Davis sentenced Millard to life in prison with the time he had spent in custody declared as time already served.

Peacock’s matter was adjourned until Tuesday.

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