Benjamin James Nunns found guilty of murdering Charles Compton after two week trial

A man is set to learn his fate after the jury in the murder trial returned a verdict after three and a half hours of deliberation.

Benjamin James Nunns, 34, has been found guilty of murder.

Benjamin James Nunns, 34, has been found guilty of murder at the close of a two-week trial in the Toowoomba Supreme Court.

The jury heard closing remarks from Crown and Mr Nunns’ legal team on Friday, and returned its verdict after three and a half hours of deliberation.

Nunns’ legal team initially entered a plea of not guilty to murder, and guilty to manslaughter by way of diminished responsibility.

This plea was rejected by the Crown.

Through the two-week trial, the jury heard Nunns invited his victim Charles Compton, and his wife Karen Compton (nee O’Halloran) to his Glen Road home in Warwick, about 11pm on April 4, 2020.

The trio spent about five hours in Nunns’ shed smoking ice before an altercation broke out about 4.30am the next day.

The jury heard Nunns, who was in the throes of an undiagnosed schizophrenic episode, thought Mr Compton was trying to abduct him, so he took a metal pole and bashed him with enough force to break Mr Compton’s arm.

Karen and Charles Compton.

The Comptons fled to their car whereupon Nunns went into his home, armed himself with a .22 bolt action rifle and returned to the driveway.

Here he fired one warning shot at the couple, before walking to within a few paces of their vehicle, bashing it with the butt of the rifle and firing a second shot through the windscreen.

This shot hit Mr Comptons’ neck and he died a short time later.

Nunns’ lawyers argued he was suffering from a psychotic episode at the time, which included hearing the voice of his long-dead stepfather.

They said he had earlier taken apart two cricket bats, thinking there were messages contained within about who would survive the end of the world.

The jury also heard Nunns thought crickets and geckos were sending him messages, and that a syndicate of drug dealers was out to get him.

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia while on remand.

The jury was asked to consider a defence of self defence, along with whether Nunns intended to kill Mr Compton.

Justice Martin Burns is set to hand down his sentence on Wednesday.