Christopher Puglia sentence: 30 years prison for ‘horrific’ murder of parents
This is the moment a man stared down his remorseless brother who had bludgeoned his parents to death with a sledgehammer.
Police & Courts
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A beloved couple brutally bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer by their own son had dreamt of meeting their grandchildren, travelling to Italy and growing old together, their heartbroken family has revealed.
When family members arrived at Franco and Loris Puglia’s Joyner home on May 17, 2020 to celebrate Loris’ 60th birthday, they were surprised to find the blinds closed, no answer at the door and the phone ringing out.
Inside, they discovered a scene so horrific that a seasoned Supreme Court justice said a quick glance of the crime scene photos was “enough to make me sick and I had to go for a walk”.
Franco, an insurance assessor, and Loris, a Guide Dogs Australia employee, were both working from home amid Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 when their 31-year-old son Christopher came to live with them after losing his job to the pandemic.
But the living arrangements became tense when Puglia refused to help around the house, declining to cook or clean, look for employment or apply for Centrelink benefits.
He also became violent toward his parents, both aged 59.
On one occasion, he put his father in a bear hug and witnesses reported him having a “look in his eye like he was going to kill him”.
He also pushed his mother to the floor twice.
“To say that you were resentful, ungrateful, uncaring and selfish does not begin to explain the enormity of your actions,” Justice Peter Applegarth told Puglia.
Franco and Loris gave their son chance after chance.
And on the afternoon of May 16, 2020, he repaid their kindness by using a sledgehammer to bludgeon them to death in a “brutal and unrelenting” attack.
He then packed a bag of clothes, food and alcohol and left the state, before he was later intercepted near Newcastle driving south.
Puglia last month pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and on Tuesday, he was sentenced to life imprisonment on both counts.
Justice Applegarth said Puglia had shown no remorse at the time of the killings or in the years since.
“Having killed your parents, and realising the enormity of your crime, you did not call an emergency number, you did not cry out to neighbours,” he said.
“You showed no respect for the bodies of your parents or any concern the trauma that your aunt and uncle or some stranger would suffer when they discovered the bodies.”
The court heard that on the day of the murders, Puglia and his parents had visited Franco’s parents.
“You told your grandparents that you hated living at your parents’ house,” Justice Applegarth said.
“Your grandparents suggested you get a job and move out.
“That was good advice. If you had heeded it, you would not be in the dock of the Supreme Court about to be sentenced to imprisonment for life. Your parents would be alive.”
Justice Applegarth said Puglia’s “murderous actions are unexplained” and no explanation was given during the court sentence in which the visibly agitated defendant was warned to control himself in the dock after waving his arms around and interjecting with comments.
“Franco and Loris Puglia were contributors to society; your mother worked for Guide Dogs Australia and your father was an insurance assessor,” he said
“The decades of life that lay ahead of them should have been full of pleasure, rewards for a life of work, and the company of friends and family.
“Yours were not the actions of an impulsive adolescent. You were aged 31 when you committed these offences nearly four years ago.”
The court heard Puglia, now 35, had no criminal history.
No psychological reports or other mitigating information was tendered on his behalf.
Justice Applegarth said Franco and Loris were merely the first two of Puglia’s many victims.
“There are many other victims: their elderly parents; your uncle and aunt who arrived at the home on 17 May, expecting to celebrate your mother’s 60th birthday, only to find a bloody and disgusting murder scene, your brother James who soon was told the devastating news that his parents had been murdered,” he said.
“These are but a few of your living victims. You robbed a family of cherished loved ones. You deprived this community of two fine citizens.”
James Puglia stared his brother down as he told the court of his devastation and how the loss of his parents would impact generations of their family.
“As I stand here today I can confidently say I have done my best to make my parents proud,” he said.
“You on the other hand have lost the right to call Frank and Loris your parents.
“The people that you brutally took away from me were my parents. A mother that was there whenever I needed her, compassionate, caring, and a loving mother. A father that was supportive, guiding and hard working. I miss everything about them and everything I got to do with them
“I have amazing memories of my parents but you will be left with the memories of what you did to them.”
Mr Puglia said every day, he spoke to someone who was impacted by the killer’s selfish actions.
“I have suffered more mental and physical pain than you can imagine, yet I still stand strong in front of you today,” he said.
“You are the person that has hurt so many people by your actions. You are where you belong. For the reasons, I don’t understand, I don’t choose to understand why or what you have done because it’s not worth my energy. Because I have wasted enough energy on you.”
Mr Puglia said the family was reminded every day of the horrific crime and that the loss of his parents made life “more difficult than I could ever imagine”.
“I would not wish this on my worst enemy,” he said.
Mrs Puglia’s sister Nerida told the court of the daily struggle living with the knowledge of what happened to her loved ones.
“I stand here and I find it hard not to question why such good people have to suffer in this way,” she said.
“I often find myself reminiscing about the life experiences Frank and Loris will never get to enjoy – the trips to Italy they dreamt of, the joy of becoming grandparents, the bliss of retirement and finally living. Frank and Loris worked so hard to create this life for themselves and they will never have the simple pleasure of growing old together.”
She said she had also been robbed of the opportunity to grow old with her sister and longed to pick up the phone and speak to her.
“It’s heartbreaking to think of all the moments they’ve missed and it’s a pain I carry with me always,” she said.
She said despite the sorrow, she took solace in the fact they were “extraordinary parents” whose devotion to their family was evident in everything they did.
“Frank and Loris, I know you’re with us,” she said.
“We will love you forever.”
Puglia will be eligible for parole after he has served 30 years in prison in May 2050.
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