Murder or mistake: Inquiry aims to uncover truth behind scientist’s gun death

Wendy and Lawrie Brooks have been asking questions about their son Jeffrey’s shooting death for longer than he was alive. Now they have renewed hope for answers.

Wendy and Lawrie Brooks have been asking questions about their son Jeffrey’s mysterious death for longer than he was alive and they hope a fresh inquest beginning Monday will finally bring both answers and justice.

The beloved 24-year-old scientist died from a gunshot wound in March 1996 at the Beenleigh Crayfish Farm where he worked.

Police at the time ruled it was a workplace accident – that Jeffrey accidentally shot himself in the chest when he reached into a vehicle to grab a loaded firearm by the barrel.

But Mr and Mrs Brooks and those who knew their son have never believed that story. They are convinced Jeffrey was murdered and for more than 26 years they have fought to prove it.

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The Attorney-General in 2018 ordered a new inquest into Jeffrey’s death after a year-long investigation by The Courier-Mail which sought fresh ballistics testing and consulted with experts and other witnesses, raising doubt over whether Jeffrey could have shot himself as police claimed.

Lawrie and Wendy Brooks hold a photo of their son Jeffrey. Picture: David Martinelli

After years of delays, the inquest is finally scheduled to begin on Monday in the Brisbane Coroners Court.

“The family overwhelmingly believe the facts show he was murdered,” Mrs Brooks said.

In the weeks before he died, Jeffrey told friends he feared for his life.

He had also told people the faulty old shotgun that would later kill him was dangerous and he had refused to touch it.

“We want justice for our son because all of his friends and lots of people know that he wasn’t stupid enough to pull an old gun out loaded by the end of the barrel, especially one he said he would never use,” Mr Brooks said.

Police ruled Jeffrey Brooks shot himself when he reached into this vehicle to get a loaded firearm. Picture: AAP/Tim Marsden

Mr Brooks, an engineer, immediately raised doubts about the police findings surrounding his son’s death in 1996 but his concerns fell on deaf ears and subsequent investigations have been plagued by missing and destroyed evidence.

“Lawrie knew what the effect should have been if Jeffrey had pulled a gun out as they say and it absolutely could not have happened so Lawrie just kept asking and asking questions,” Mrs Brooks said.

“Lawrie knew so much about ballistics. That’s the reason we’ve kept going, or one of the reasons - we wanted justice because we knew that we weren’t getting justice for Jeffrey and he deserves it.”

The Beenleigh Crayfish Farm in the mid-90s. Picture: Supplied

The new inquest before Coroner Donald MacKenzie will investigate the adequacy of the police investigation and the processes relating to the management of exhibits in the case.

It will also examine how Jeffrey died, including how the gunshot wound came to be identified.

Jeffrey Brooks.

Among the witnesses to be called will be Jeffrey’s former church youth group leader Allan Eggins who was not called to give evidence at the previous inquest.

“Jeffrey told him how absolutely worried he was just a few weeks before,” Mrs Brooks said.

The family hope the coroner will find that their son was murdered and that there will be a fresh investigation into this death.

“Because the truth has been so suppressed we want it exposed, we want the truth exposed and a thorough job done so we can get justice for Jeffrey so we can rest easy,” Mrs Brooks said.

“It’s like you’ve got a thundercloud hanging over your shoulder the whole time, it’s an incredible feeling. We just need to have closure.”

Mr and Mrs Brooks said since sharing their story, they’ve met other families who believe there is more to the deaths of their own loved ones.

They said they hoped by continuing to campaign for justice for Jeffrey, they could help others and prompt further investigations into other unsolved suspicious deaths.

“We know what it’s like to carry pain all these years and not to have closure and we don’t want to see anybody have to go through what we’ve gone through,” Mrs Brooks said.

“Since the story was put out about us there are so many people who have come out of woodwork who are hurting with no closure, they’ve got loved ones they know have been murdered and the police have fobbed them off and they can get nowhere, they’re so frustrated.

“There are so many people out there in the same boat.”

The inquest into Jeffrey’s death is scheduled to run for two weeks.