Samurai sword killer’s girlfriend Hannah Quinn avoids jail

The girlfriend of a man who killed a home invader with a samurai sword has sobbed in court as she learned her fate for her actions after his death.

A woman who helped her boyfriend go on the run after he killed an intruder with a samurai sword says she has been plagued by “torment and suffering” as she avoided being sent to jail

Hannah Quinn, 26, was on Friday sentenced to a two-year community corrections order in the NSW Supreme Court for her role following the killing of aspiring rapper Jett McKee after she and her boyfriend were the victims of an attempted drug-related robbery gone wrong.

A jury last year found Quinn guilty of being an accessory after the fact to the manslaughter of Mr McKee after he was killed by her partner Blake Davis.

Quinn and Davis went on the run for three days before handing themselves into police, with Justice Natalie Adams saying she assisted Davis out of a “sense of misguided loyalty and emotional attachment”.

“Ms Quinn did help (Davis) to move around and avoid arrest over that period,” Judge Adams said.

“It was not suggested she ever destroyed evidence or the prosecution was weakened by her actions, which is often the hallmarks of such an offence.

“They had no intention of avoiding apprehension indefinitely, they did not leave Sydney, let alone NSW.”

Hannah Quinn (centre, pink suit) arrives at the NSW Supreme Court with her family and supporters. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Quinn was also awarded costs after the crown prosecution unsuccessfully attempted to prosecute her for murder.

Wearing a pink jacket and white blouse, she sat in the dock sobbing with a cup of water and tissues in front of her as Judge Adams delivered her verdict.

She nodded and fiddled with her hands nervously as she was told she would not be imprisoned.

Before the home invasion, she went out to purchase take away breakfast for her and Davis just after 12pm on August 10, 2018.

“Everyone was going about their everyday life,” Judge Adams said.

“Ms Quinn could never have anticipated that within minutes her life would be changed forever.

“That she and Mr Davis would be the victims of a violent home invasion by Jett McKee. That Mr Davis would go on to kill Mr McKee and she would be charged with his murder.”

Blake Davis and Hannah Quinn share a kiss outside Darlinghurst Courthouse after Blake Davis was found guilty of manslaughter. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Wearing a black balaclava and brandishing a replica gun, Mr McKee burst into Davis’ Forest Lodge flat demanding money.

The court heard how Mr McKee pointed the gun at Davis and said: “Give me all your f***ing money or I’ll kill you.”

Mr McKee also pointed the gun at Quinn and threatened their families.

Mr McKee, who had a “toxic to lethal” level of methamphetamine in his system at the time, punched Davis in the face with knuckledusters, leaving him bloodied.

The court heard that Mr McKee targeted the couple because they were small-time marijuana dealers.

Jett McKee was killed after he was struck by a samurai sword. Picture: Facebook.

Davis and Quinn were charged with murder, however Quinn was found guilty of the less serious charge of being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter.

She was facing a maximum possible jail term of five years.

In segments of a letter written by Ms Quinn and read out to the court, she said she had been the subject of “torment and suffering” which had plagued her “entire being”

She said she couldn’t remember the last time she had a full night’s sleep and had been affected by night terrors and nightmares.

“The life I chose has been hijacked by circumstances no one could have ever foreseen,” she wrote.

She described being “stuck in limbo, frozen in time”.

“Every day feels like a week, every week feels like a year,” Judge Adams said reading from Quinn’s letter.

“Every year feels like five years. I have lived this way for 31 months.”

The scene of Jett McKee’s killing at Hereford Street, Forest Lodge. Picture: NSW Supreme Court

After the intruder fled, the couple chased Mr McKee up Hereford Street, with Quinn pulling him to the ground before Davis delivered the fatal blow to his skull.

Passersby recounted hearing a “cracking sound” as Davis delivered the fatal strike.

One witness told the jury they recalled her saying “what the f*** have you done?”

While another described the samurai sword blow as sounding like a whip cracking, Judge Adams said.

They fled their apartment, grabbing an imitation gun and weapons and over $20,000 in cash.

They went on the run for three days during which they stayed in multiple hotels across Sydney as they evaded authorities.

Judge Adams said that while Quinn had expressed sympathy for Mr McKee, she was not satisfied that he was remorseful for assisting Davis before he handed himself in.

She was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order which included conditions that she undergo treatment for her ADHD.

Davis was earlier in the year sentenced to five years and three months in prison for manslaughter.

Justice Adams handed him a non-parole period of two years and nine months, meaning with time served he will be eligible for release in August 2023.

Originally published as Samurai sword killer’s girlfriend Hannah Quinn avoids jail