Fight to keep man who decapitated teen in jail
One of two men convicted of decapitating a teenager and using his head as a bowling ball has been photographed enjoying his freedom after he was released without the victim’s family knowing about it. Now there are fears the boy’s other killer could be paroled.
Police & Courts
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THE family of a murdered teenager is desperately trying to stop the release of the second of his killers, who decapitated his body and used his severed head as a bowling ball.
Morgan Jay Shepherd’s family was outraged when one of his murderers, Christopher Clark Jones, was recently released from prison and deported to the UK without them knowing about it.
Decapitated teen’s killer deported after being released on parole
Now Jay’s sisters, father and aunts are pleading with the Queensland Parole Board not to release his other murderer, James Roughan, after learning he has also recently applied for parole.
“James Roughan murdered my teenage brother with unimaginable brutality in a shockingly disturbing attack,’’ sister Shannon said.
“He then boasted and laughed about the sadistic details to friends in the days that followed.’’
Jay was stabbed 133 times at Roughan’s Sandgate home in 2005 and Roughan then decapitated the 17-year-old.
At their murder trial, witnesses said Jones told how Roughan then callously used his head as a puppet and bowling ball, rolling it down a hill.
Jay’s torso was found in a shallow grave at Dayboro, on Brisbane’s northside, with his severed head nearby.
His DNA was found on a tomahawk, a knife and two saws at Roughan’s home and his missing tooth was found in Roughan’s backyard.
Jones and Roughan, who had been drinking with Jay, were found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007.
Roughan won a retrial after an appeal but was again found guilty of Jay’s murder and given a life sentence in 2008.
He has been behind bars for 15 years, since his arrest.
“We would have fought to have Christopher Jones remain in jail had we been notified of his parole application,’’ Jay’s family members said.
“We found out through a news report showing him boarding a plane with a grin and not looking the least bit remorseful.’’
Now, to add to the family’s pain, photos have emerged of Jones sitting in the sun, sipping a coffee, enjoying his freedom in London.
Shannon, 40, who was 25 when her brother was killed, first heard about his murder after reading a newspaper story about a headless corpse found in a paddock.
When later told it was her brother Jay, she said she went into shock and could not comprehend how anyone could do that to a human being.
Shannon said her brother was a young, naive country boy who was new to Brisbane. He was polite, trusting, friendly and non-confrontational.
Roughan and Jones had openly spoken about their fantasies of “thrill killing’’ to friends before they met Jay, who had only been in Brisbane for a few months.
Several witnesses at Roughan’s murder trial told how they overheard Jones and Roughan boasting about the killing.
Roughan had about 90 CDs at his home, almost all of which had subjects such as “death’’, “violence” and “killing’’.
Shannon says that releasing Roughan into the community raises immense public safety concerns.
“He has a previous pattern of violent behaviour, sadistic tendencies and blatant disregard for human life,” she said.
The family questions the mental stability of someone who could do such horrible things to another person and then play with his corpse.
“Being able to stomach putting your hand inside a severed decomposing head and make jokes shows how depraved he is and how little regard he has for human life,’’ one family member said.
They felt chilled to learn that Roughan’s aunt, Katherine Knight, was sentenced to life, never to be released, for stabbing and decapitating her partner before skinning and cooking his body.
Jay’s sister Crystal said the fact that Roughan could be released made her extremely angry at the prison system.
“This person is pure evil and I do fear that another family somewhere will have to suffer the same fate,’’ she said.
Youngest sister April said it should be “life for life’’.
She asked why Jay’s killers should get to do the minimum amount of time behind bars and then get to start a new life, after inflicting such terrible violence.
Shannon says the family has never recovered.
Jay’s mother died in 2009, after years of nightmares and mental anguish, and his grandmother was hospitalised and treated for major depression, triggered by hearing details of the murder.
The family members say they would have fought to have British-born Jones remain in jail, if they had been notified of his parole application.
They have now made urgent submissions to the parole board, asking it to reject Roughan’s recent parole application.
If Roughan, now in a Cairns prison, is granted parole, the family say they want strict conditions.