Calliope’s Rodney Noel Marxsen jailed for nine years for attempted murder

When police caught a chainsaw wielding husband for hunting and attempting to murder his estranged wife, they found he’d been researching more than a dozen cruel ways to kill.

Armed with a chainsaw, knives and The Bible, a hellbent husband terrorised his wife.

A vengeful husband may have succeeded in “choking the life out of” his estranged wife had it not been for a realisation as chilling as the act.

Two months after separating from his wife of 40 years, Rodney Noel Marxsen, 61, attacked her at the Burua home they had shared – only stopping because he “didn’t realise people’s eyes bulge”.

These disturbing details about Marxsen’s “night of madness” were read out in Rockhampton Supreme Court where he pleaded guilty this week to attempted murder, crying into his hands during various parts of the proceedings.

Justice Graeme Crow said the victim was “terrorised” in the premeditated attack, where Marxsen turned up to the property near Calliope in the Gladstone region armed with a chainsaw, a bible and knives.

During the prolonged attack, Marxsen used the chainsaw to gain entry to the house via a metal door and chased the mother of his child in a car and she ran, hoping to reach a nearby caravan park for help.

When he caught up, he punched her three times in the face, grabbed her by the throat and choked her.

She recalled standing when the choking started and next regaining conscious with her body on the ground.

The court heard Marxsen told police “he grabbed the bitch and started choking the life out of her”.

“I couldn’t do it,” he said

“I didn’t realise people’s eyes bulge.”

When he let her go, he told her “I’ll let you live, you f — ing c — of a thing. Make sure the cops shoot me when they come to get me”.

He then got up himself and turned to her saying “you’re a slut through and through” and drove off.

“I’m not a real good killer,” he said to police.

Marxsen, who described himself as a monster, also said he tried to take his own life “but didn’t have the guts. I’m a gutless piece of shit”.

“Vengeance and hurt were going through my mind that afternoon.”

In text messages been Marxsen and his mother the afternoon and evening of the attempted murder (4.30pm-7.30pm prior to the attempted murder) he wrote “see you in heaven”.

His mother pleaded with him not to take his own life to which he replied, “not death, glorious revenge”.

She responded: “do you think God agrees with that?”

Marxsen then messaged saying his former wife “got away with everything. The c — of a thing must die”.

Despite the details before the court, Justice Crow said he was provided with “an incredible victim impact statement” which was in Marxsen’s favour, something he described as “extraordinary” compared to other such cases.

“I always read victim impact statements that speak of the harm they’ve suffered; the trauma they’ve suffered; the effect on their life, how they can’t sleep anymore and how they never feel safe,” he said.

The court heard the victim wrote in her statement: “He was a good father and a hard worker. And before this incident he was never violent towards us (her and their son).”

Justice Crow said Marxsen’s son, who also provided a reference to the court, “tries to walk the balance between his two parents which is a situation, of course, you should never be put in”.

He said both Marxsen’s son and his brother, who also provided a reference, spoke highly of Marxsen saying he was a good father who had been self-reliant, generous and a compassionate person prior to this incident.

Marxsen had no criminal record and no prior history of domestic violence.

“He’s gone from being a pretty hardworking man … a man who succeeded in life to this one night of madness, which ruined himself and his family,” Justice Crow said.

Marxsen was sentenced to nine years in jail.

His 554 days in presentence custody were declared as time served and parole eligibility was set for March 16, 2026.