Robert Pashkuss, Stacey McMaugh: Strike Force Chuter investigates fresh leads into couple’s 2008 murder at Caves Beach

A 16-year mystery into the brutal slaying of a couple could be on the cusp of being solved as detectives delve into credible new information regarding who was responsible for the horrific deaths.

Robert Pashkuss and Stacey McMaugh were murdered at their home in Caves Beach, Newcastle on January 6, 2008.

Credible fresh snippets of information have prompted the dramatic reinvestigation into the horrific slayings of Caves Beach couple Robert Pashkuss and Stacey McMaugh nearly 16 years after their brutally bludgeoned bodies were found inside their locked up home.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Lake Macquarie detectives have quietly reopened Strike Force Chuter – the investigation first set up by the state’s homicide squad in the hours after the couple’s bodies were discovered on January 6, 2008.

Mr Pashkuss, a 50-year-old drug dealer who many believed was attempting to get out of the game, was found savagely beaten about the head in the kitchen of their Macquarie Grove home by a family member just before midday.

His injuries were so severe that forensic pathologists needed fingerprint analysis to confirm his identity.

Ms McMaugh, a 41-year-old charity worker who is not believed to have had any connection with the drug trade, was found bashed to death in their bed.

The house in Macquarie Grove, Caves Beach, where Stacey McMaugh and partner Robert Pashkuss were murdered on Sunday January 6, 2008.

Investigators strongly suspect Mr Pashkuss was the intended target and his partner was hideously murdered after being seen as collateral damage by the killer or killers.

The couple had been last seen the night before, and there was no evidence of a break-in.

Police collecting evidence from the house in Macquarie Grove, Caves Beach, where Stacey McMaugh and partner Robert Pashkuss were murdered.

A massive investigation continued after the murders shocked the beachside suburb in south-eastern Lake Macquarie and a reward of $100,000 was later increased to $250,000 as police – and the families of the couple – continued to make public pleas for information.

And it appears nearly 16 years after the crime, some significant information from the public has prompted Strike Force Chuter to be re-established.

Lake Macquarie police remained tight-lipped on the information on Tuesday, although it is understood that the fresh and credible leads had kickstarted a new probe into the horrific double murder.

An inquest, held in 2016 before deputy state coroner Hugh Dillon, heard there were several people of interest in the case.

It is understood the fresh information being investigated by police is down a new “line of inquiry”.

Robert Pashkuss and Stacey McMaugh.

The inquest heard Mr Pashkuss was known to deal amphetamine throughout the greater Swansea area, though there was some suggestion he was attempting to get out of the drug trade.

Mr Dillon described the couple as more like relaxed “old-fashioned hippies” and he did not believe Mr Pashkuss was involved in significant organised crime.

“Although Robert was engaged in drug dealing … those who knew Robert Pashkuss universally praised him as a generous, kind and decent human being,” the coroner said.

Police examine a drain in a neighbouring house for clues following the deaths of Stacey McMaugh and partner Robert Pashkuss.

Ms McMaugh was well-known in charity circles, volunteering her time to a number of organisations including the Mattara Festival and the Newcastle Show.

Mr Dillon said Mr Pashkuss had been struck from behind at least eight times before his killers searched the house and hit Ms McMaugh two or three times.

He said Ms McMaugh had no known enemies and it was likely she was only killed because she was in the house.

“The homicides were very violent and possibly even frenzied,” Mr Dillon said.

He would also write in his findings: “I also hope that sheer humanity may prompt a witness to come forward.

“It is a grave and onerous thing for a person with this sort of knowledge to sit on it silently, knowing that two families are grieving while a killer walks around free.”