Kudla shed murderer Keith Russell Yandle jailed for life for killing Steve Murphy, to spend minimum 32 years in prison
The Kudla shed murderer has received one of the longest sentences in state history and gone to a cell screaming obscenities at a judge.
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He shot a defenceless man, watched him die, buried him in a pit, promised to plead guilty to protect his son, reneged on the deal, went to trial, and still insists he’s not a murderer.
On Friday, Keith Russell Yandle finally faced the full weight of justice for his callous, unnecessary shooting of beloved father and friend Steve Murphy more than three years ago.
He sat silently, staring at the ground or ceiling as Justice Anne Bampton jailed him for life with a minimum 32-year non-parole period.
That sentence, she said, included six years’ jail for the crime of concealing human remains.
As he was led to the cells, a spectator in the public gallery yelled “remember, a man’s home is his castle”, prompting Yandle to turn toward the courtroom and lash out verbally.
“You think you’re all good people, but you’re a bunch of c**ts,” he yelled.
Yandle, 48, was found guilty at trial of having murdered Mr Murphy – who was cowering, unarmed and defenceless – in February 2023.
Mr Murphy had been sleeping rough inside the Kudla shed where Yandle grew cannabis, and was shot multiple times at close range.
Yandle reneged on a plea bargain after ensuring the case against his son and former co-accused, Marco, had been downgraded to the charge of assisting an offender.
Marco is serving a suspended sentence, while Keith maintains he was acting in self-defence and not “armed and ready for confrontation”, as alleged by prosecutors.
“Can you prove that? Can you prove that? That’s a lie,” he said during his prior court appearance, stopping only when silenced by Justice Bampton.
In sentencing on Friday, Justice Bampton said the crime would likely never have been revealed, and Mr Murphy’s body found if not for Yandle’s younger brother.
She said the brother went to police and raised concerns about Yandle’s determination to catch an intruder on his property who had been glimpsed repeatedly on the shed’s CCTV.
“The comments that you made to your brother about the person you ‘fixed up’ being homeless and ‘he did not matter’ are demonstrative of the ruthless and inhumane attitude you had toward Mr Murphy,” she said
“He was trespassing in your shed but he posed no threat to your safety or that of your family … you held the upper hand.
“He was alone, unarmed and entirely submissive during your interaction with him.
“You choose to murder Mr Murphy, and you did so in front of your son when you’d had ample time to choose not to kill Mr Murphy and there were lawful alternatives open to you.
“You showed utter disregard to him and his family … you were callous and inhumane.”
Justice Bampton said the loss and grief suffered by Mr Murphy’s family, particularly his young sons, was heart-wrenching, profound and pervasive, and would be lifelong.
She rejected Yandle’s claims of self-defence and that his actions were understandable given the circumstances.
“I find beyond reasonable doubt you intended to kill Mr Murphy given you shot him four times, including three times while he was on the ground even though he was completely down and overcome after the first shot,” she said.
“It must have been a deliberate choice by you to fire repeatedly … I find you had a retaliatory state of mind.
“I find you killed Mr Murphy because you decided to take the law into your own hands … you were angry returning to your shed … you chose to deal with him as you saw fit not as the law allowed.
“Your conduct was callous, ruthless, and inhumane … this is a catastrophic and tragic example of the dire risk the community is exposed to by the possession of illegal firearms.”
Yandle’s sentence and non-parole period place him among the upper echelon of SA’s most infamous criminals.
His 32-year non-parole period is the equal second-longest for a single murder imposed in state history.
Only delusional assassin Jean Eric Gassey is serving a longer sentence for a single murder, with a 34-year non-parole period.
Yandle’s sentence is equal to that of dismemberment murderer Angelika Gavare and murderous rapist Dudley Davey.
The bodies-in-the-barrels serial killers John Justin Bunting and Robert Joe Wagner are serving SA’s longest sentences of life without parole for 11 and 10 murders respectively.
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Originally published as Kudla shed murderer Keith Russell Yandle jailed for life for killing Steve Murphy, to spend minimum 32 years in prison
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