Firearms laid out in Gold Coast unit by Bronson Ellery after explosive end to former girlfriend’s life

BRONSON Ellery was armed when he grabbed Shelsea Schilling in what was a calculated and explosively violent lead-up to the execution of his ex-partner in his Southport unit.

Shelsea Schilling and Bronson Ellery, posted to his Solitary_Son twitter account in December, 2015.

BRONSON Ellery’s killing of Shelsea Schilling in his Southport unit was a calculated execution.

The Gold Coast Bulletin can reveal the former Bandido bikie had several firearms as he threatened Ms Schilling and witnesses before 4.40pm last Friday.

After more than a week of speculation about their deaths, it is clear from the accounts of several sources close to the investigation that Ellery spent time plotting how to kill his ex-partner.

FOURTH PERSON AT UNIT: REPORTS

His writing of a note of apology to her parents, along with the way he had positioned his guns, suggest he had been “planning this for some time”.

A source said: “It clearly was a murder investigation. He had laid out all his guns. He’s bashed her senseless”.

Ms Schilling had been living around the corner from her parent’s home and her work belongings, including a lunch box, were in order before she disappeared three days before her death.

Her parents said she phoned to tell them she would be over for dinner on the Wednesday before her disappearance, but never arrived.

Shelsea Schilling and Bronson Ellery

Detectives are trying to determine how she came to be in the Southport unit.

Police sources acknowledge the case is being treated as a “planned homicide”.

Ms Schilling took out a DV order in September last year, only for Ellery to breach it violently more than a month later.

MATES MOURN FOR ELLERY FROM JAIL

He was sentenced to three months in jail but the breach prompted her to go in hiding, changing jobs and making it impossible for friends to make contact with her.

Ms Schilling met Ellery through a friend when she was about 16.

“THERE’S NO PULSE — THEY’RE GONE”

“At the start it’s always wine and dine, this and that,” Shelsea’s mother, Bonnie Mobbs, said.

“Then she said he was hitting the prescription drugs and getting more volatile and crazy.”

Shelsea’s father, Ossie Schilling, said in the past year of their relationship Ellery became more controlling and stopped his daughter seeing her friends.

Shelsea Schilling. Photo: Supplied

“He was holding her against her will, going through her phone ... he was very paranoid.”

Following the pair’s split, Ellery became “obsessed” with Shelsea, Ms Mobbs said.

He turned up at her workplace at Harbour Town unannounced, visited her parent’s home and peered in the windows.

“He told her, ‘You are only mine. You’ll never be with anyone else’,” Mr Schilling said.

“Shelsea changed her appearance. She cut all her hair off.

“She had long hair and she cut it all off.”

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Shelsea’s father said the terrified woman changed her phone number on several occasions, deactivated her Facebook profile, changed her job and moved house.

“(A domestic violence support service) put her into hiding first and then from there she went into hiding at a friend’s house off the Gold Coast,” Mr Schilling said.

Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd said yesterday detectives were waiting for toxicology results on the bodies of Ellery and Ms Schilling.

Their deaths were not caused by a firearm, he said.

Asked about the guns in the unit, Assistant Commissioner Codd replied: “I won’t go into any more detail on what we found in that unit.”

He also declined to comment on the explosive sequence of events involving the five people in the unit.

Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Police are reluctant to confirm what occurred, given it could contaminate evidence as they seek out the other witnesses.

“There are still certain people we need to talk to,” Assistant Commissioner Codd said.