Allecha Boyd murder: Wagga Supreme Court hears of family’s heartbreak during Samuel John Shephard sentencing
The family of murdered 27-year-old chef Allecha Boyd, cousin of AFL star Will Hoskin-Elliott, has desperately pleaded in court for her murderer to reveal where she was buried.
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THE family of murdered Wagga chef Allecha Boyd has made another desperate plea for her murderer to give them closure by revealing where her body is buried.
Samuel John Shephard, 39, appeared in Wagga Supreme Court today for a sentence hearing after he brutally murdered Ms Boyd in 2017.
He pleaded guilty to the charge in October last year.
A court previously heard Shephard shot Ms Boyd multiple times on a dirt road in Coolamon after his lover confronted Ms Boyd about a break and enter at her home.
Her body was then taken deep into the Lester State Forest and buried in a shallow grave.
Despite numerous police searches since 2017, her remains have not yet been found.
Ms Boyd’s mother, Leah Freeman, today told the court the family wanted to lay her to rest so “then we may just be at peace with ourselves”.
“The mental anguish every day waiting and wondering if today will be the day I get the call that says Allecha has been found,” Ms Freeman said.
“We, the family, needs closure and Allecha to be laid to rest with dignity that she deserves.
“The impact it has had on me is nothing short of horrific.”
Ms Freeman, who broke down in tears, remembered her eldest daughter as a caring and selfless person who had aspirations to one day own her own restaurant.
“My life is just a blur,” she said.
“It’s hard to look at each other without breaking. It’s not fair to the other children who must go through all of this.”
Ms Boyd’s father, Ian Boyd, also read his victim impact statement before Justice Richard Button and the public gallery filled with friends and family.
Mr Boyd said the “the whole situation is devastating on all of us”.
“We’ve searched all of the known places to no avail — this is a job no father should have to do,” Mr Boyd said.
“Until I find my beautiful daughter to bring her home, I can't and won't stop searching.
“Until we find Allecha, my family and I will have no chance of moving forward.”
Mr Boyd also said that while he often drank alcohol to help him cope, he said that the family was strong.
“We will not give up until we bring Allecha home,” he said.
“I’d also like to say a life for a life.”
Following the statements, Crown prosecutor Trevor Bailey said the murder was arrogant, ambitious and audacious.
Mr Bailey argued the evidenced showed Shephard murdered Ms Boyd to “foster a fearsome reputation for himself as a hard man” within drug circles.
“It was no accident that this murder was committed in front of witnesses — that was precisely what he intended,” Mr Bailey said.
“It was all done with such calculated haste as to show there must’ve been pre-planning on behalf of the offender.”
However, defence barrister Eric Wilson said the agreed facts did not have the circumstantial evidence presented by Mr Bailey.
Mr Wilson also said his client was still willing to help find Ms Boyd’s body, which would lessen any aggravating factors, and that he would not make any submissions on remorse.
Shephard is also being sentenced for drug supply offences and dealing with proceeds of crime.
Justice Button reserved his sentence until February 28.
Last year, co-offenders Tracy Lee King, 36, and Anthony Shane Hagan, 21, were sentenced to jail terms for their roles in the murder.
They both pleaded guilty to one count each of being an accessory after the fact of murder.