Murderer David Jepsen attacked prisoners convicted of child abuse
A murderer who stabbed a Mackay mum 33 times in a frenzied attack has used blades to assault two men who boasted of abusing children. WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT.
Police & Courts
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A convicted murderer who killed a mother-of-two in a frenzied attack has stabbed two inmates in jail who boasted about their crimes against children or the sentence they received, a court has heard.
David John Jepsen is serving life behind bars after he stabbed 28-year-old Mackay mum Natasha McCarthy 33 times in parkland under the Ron Camm Bridge in Mackay in July 2012.
The now 48 year old had recalled stabbing Ms McCarthy once before he blacked out – and when he came to, he was covered in blood.
He then bundled her lifeless body in a blanket and placed her in the boot of a car which he drove to his former girlfriend’s house in a bid to frighten her into giving him money.
In September 2013 before Mackay Supreme Court he received a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder and interfering with a corpse.
On Thursday he came before Rockhampton District Court after he took blades to two inmates in two separate attacks.
Judge Jeff Clarke said Jepsen’s four-page criminal record included a prior conviction for assaulting an inmate, along with drugs and property offences “which probably informs your lifestyle prior (to) the event that led to the indeterminate (life) sentence”.
CCTV footage of the prison attacks were played in court, along with detailed descriptions of each incident read out.
After speaking with an inmate at Townsville Correctional Centre on September 13, 2021, Jepsen walked up behind him, grabbed his head and pulled it backwards before stabbing him twice in the right side of the neck with a homemade shiv or sharpened implement.
“He felt the pop sensation to his neck,” Judge Clarke said.
As the victim stood up, Jepsen struck him two more times in the right shoulder.
The second attack took place at Capricornia Correctional Centre at Etna Creek, north of Rockhampton, on May 17, 2022.
Judge Clarke said Jepsen armed himself with a razor blade before walking up behind this victim.
Jepsen grabbed him by the side of the head, “used a razor blade to cut his throat from the left to the middle of the throat” and then stomped on his head.
He then grabbed the victim by the hair and kneed him in the face several times and kicked him.
Judge Clarke said the victim tried to get away but Jepsen followed him around the room, punching him and kicking him while he was on the ground.
When Jepsen finally stopped his attack and the victim was able to walk away, blood was streaming down the victim’s face as shown on CCTV footage.
Judge Clarke said neither victim sustained serious injury from Jepsen’s attacks.
The court heard it was after the assaults Jepsen was given access to psychological treatment for childhood trauma-induced post traumatic stress disorder and he was now medicated and receiving counselling.
“Obviously here the boasting by the people that you harmed about their serious criminal conduct toward children and abusing defenceless children and/or otherwise complaining about harsher penalties being imposed by the courts for that style of offending set you off and that’s understandable,” Judge Clarke said.
“It doesn’t excuse your behaviour but certainly explains it.”
Judge Clark said he had sentenced one of Jepsen’s victims and had imposed the highest penalty.
“You were understandably confronted by him boasting about what he had done to the little girl,” he said to Jepsen.
The court heard Jepsen was placed into solitary confinement for 18 weeks after the first attack in Townsville with no access to books, television or other people which led to him cutting off a section of his own ear.
He was then put in solitary at Wolston Correctional Centre for two years and three months before being moved to Brisbane Correctional Centre.
Jepsen pleaded guilty to three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and two of common assault.
The court heard he had been charged with wounding but charges were downgraded.
Judge Clarke sentenced Jepsen to three years jail to be served concurrently with his life sentence for murder.
His parole eligibility was extended by nine months to June 15, 2028 and convictions were recorded.
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