Man charged with double murder to face Grafton court

A South Grafton man charged with the murder of two men who died in a fiery crash in 2018 will again appear in court today

NSW Police established Strike Force Kiowa to investigate the deaths of two people in a fatal crash. Photo: Frank Redward

A SOUTH Grafton man charged with the murder of two men in a fiery 2018 crash will again appear in Grafton Local Court today.

James Kevin Cook, 36, has been charged with a number of offences including murder, reckless grievous bodily harm, discharged a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

According to court documents, NSW Police established Strike Force Kiowa to investigate the deaths of two people in a fiery crash near Halfway Creek two years ago.

Police allege on the night of Sunday December 9 2018 there was a disagreement between Mr Cook and two other men before two vehicles were seen driving erratically on the Pacific Highway around 20km south of Grafton.

Mr Cook is accused of using a firearm and his Holden Commodore to force a silver Mitsubishi Lancer off the roadway which crashed through a fence, rolled, then caught fire.

Daniel Elliott, 42, a Nomads gang member from Grafton, and his associate, 29-year-old Jared Ward from Tucabia, died at the scene and a 39-year-old woman, who was also in the vehicle, had to be flown to the Gold Coast.

Following investigations by the strike force, Mr Cook was arrested and charged with murder in July last year where a loaded firearm was allegedly found and seized.

Police allege that during the investigations of the two deaths, strike force investigators identified a significant drug supply syndicate in the Grafton and South Grafton areas.

Mr Cook is yet to enter a plea to the charges.

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