Shannon James Murray jailed for manslaughter after Steven Morris killed in fatal Tweed Heads crash
A Gold Coast drink driver who was speeding at 200km/h an hour when he crashed into and killed a man in northern NSW has met his fate. Here’s what happened in court.
Lismore
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A Gold Coast drink driver speeding at twice the legal limit before he crashed into and killed another man has been jailed over the shocking tragedy.
Shannon James Murray, 33, faced Lismore District Court on April 14 after fleeing the scene of the fatal crash on August 4, 2020 – leaving Steven Morris, 47, for dead.
Police had alleged the shamed mechanic was speeding at 200kmh in his partner’s Mazda when he crashed and killed Mr Morris on the Pacific Highway at Tweed Heads.
It was further alleged Murray and his 19-year-old brother, who is not facing charges, left the crash site before emergency crews arrived.
Police found the pair on nearby Kennedy Dr and arrested them soon after.
Murray recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.125 – more than twice the legal limit.
Murray had initially pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death by speeding 45 km/h over the limit, and failing to stop and assist after a motor vehicle impact causing death in 2021.
The case was due to go to trial in August last year.
But he pleaded guilty on September 13, 2022 to manslaughter, failing to stop and assist after a fatal crash, mid-range drink driving, and causing bodily harm by misconduct while he was in charge of a motor vehicle after “to-ing and fro-ing” between the prosecution and defence.
Defence barrister Simon Apps asked for a sentence focusing on rehabilitation and said Murray had already spent more than two-and-a-half years in prison.
Judge Jennifer English sentenced Murray to a term of imprisonment of seven years and six months with a non-parole period of four years and six months.
Murray will be eligible for parole on February 4, 2026.
He also received three months’ imprisonment for the mid-range drink driving, three years’ imprisonment for failing to stop and assist after the crash, and nine months for causing bodily harm by misconduct while driving.
Those sentences were subsumed by the overarching manslaughter sentence.
For driving with his licence suspended, Murray was convicted with no further penalty.
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