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

The heartbroken family of a man who was murdered as a result of a bizarre love triangle has read out loud their victim impact statements as the killers were sentenced in court, vowing to never speak their names again.

Alleged murder victim Mark Carson. Mr Carson's mother Margaret and stepfather David Sheehan, speaking outside the court house, said he had been very well thought of in the Pacific Haven community.

A family has stood in front of their beloved son and brother’s killers and read aloud their heartbreaking victim impact statements, with one vowing that after watching the court case, their names will never be spoken again.

On Friday, March 22, 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, 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.

Millard was sentenced to life in prison, while Peacock will be sentenced on March 26.

The court heard Peacock and Millard went unarmed to Mr Carson’s home on April 3, 2021.

Peacock was the first to go inside, having coffee with Mr Carson before Millard also entered the home.

From there, Peacock stabbed Mr Carson in the back with a screwdriver before Millard slashed his throat with a knife.

The couple later staged the scene and claimed Mr Carson had inflicted the injury himself.

Through tears, Mr Carson’s mother, Margaret Sheehan, stood and faced her son’s killers as she read her victim impact statement.

Toni Leanne Peacock with Cooper Lindsay Millard have pleaded guilty to manslaughter and murder.

At times Peacock watched her, at other times she stared off into the distance.

“The gods have no greater torment for a mother than to outlive her children, how true these words are,” Mrs Sheehan said.

She spoke of her son’s kind nature, how he had once given her a shoebox with two pounds of sugar and a lemon.

“There was a sugar strike on in England at the time and I only drink lemon tea,” she said.

She said she would always remember his smile, his “cheeky grin”.

Mrs Sheehan said she would miss his sense of humour and his love of life.

“He always called me mother - sometimes mum, but mostly mother,” she said.

Mrs Sheehan said speaking of the death of her son was the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do.

“You are in my breaking heart, until we meet again.”

Her husband, Mr Carson’s stepfather David Sheehan, then addressed the court to read out his statement.

He spoke of Mr Carson’s “constant humour”, which was “such fun”.

Mr Sheehan said time had not eased the pain of losing his stepson.

While life should be relaxed and content, that was not possible because of his loss, he said.

“We will be instead be haunted by an event which should never have happened. We have a life sentence,” he said.

He said Mr Carson would always continue to be part of their lives.

Mr Carson’s brother Chris Carson then read out his statement.

He said the loss of his brother had impacted his whole family.

Mr Carson said he’d had nightmares because of what he had to live with, because he couldn’t help or save his brother.

He said there were only two people responsible, naming the defendants.

“Your names will never be mentioned after today because my brother, Mark Carson, deserves to be remembered as the loving, kind, gentle-hearted man that he was,” he said.

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