Ashmore murder Investigation: Victorian man charged after 62-year-old man’s body discovered
A Victorian man accused of killing another man at a Gold Coast home has appeared in court for the first time, initially shirtless and claiming he had “never harmed a fly”.
Police & Courts
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A man accused of killing another man at a Gold Coast home has appeared in court for the first time, initially shirtless and claiming he had “never harmed a fly”.
Jessie Dean Buchanan, 36, from Victoria appeared in Southport Magistrates Court via videolink from the watch-house on Monday.
He is charged with one count each of murder, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and receiving tainted property.
Police allege Buchanan killed Trevor Schneider, 62, whose body was found at an Ashmore home on Sunday.
Officers were called to conduct a welfare check after being contacted by friends of the deceased and the owner of the property.
Police say there were “clear signs of violence” at the scene, but have not released details of Mr Schneider’s injuries.
Buchanan was allegedly found with a vehicle of interest – a white 2005 Toyota HiLux – on Southport Nerang Rd at Molendinar just before 1pm on Sunday.
The man - formerly of Pakenham in Melbourne - was not wearing pants when he was taken into custody and may have been under the influence of an intoxicating substance, police claim.
The court was told Buchanan would not speak with a duty lawyer.
He instead spoke to the court himself for several minutes, saying he was unsure about whether he would seek legal representation as he did not feel he could trust anyone.
Buchanan claimed he had only lived on the Gold Coast for five or six weeks, and in that time had his identity and belongings stolen and was struggling to keep track of time.
“It’s just this whole process has been very overwhelming and very rushed for me, and I am honestly am not in my own mindset because of it,” Buchanan told the court.
“My identity has been stolen, my phone has been taken … I can’t even talk to my family.
“I’m a good person - I’ve never harmed a fly.”
He did not make an application for bail.
Buchanan’s matter will next be mentioned on March 7.
He will be remanded in custody and expected to appear via videolink on that date.
Mr Schneider’s body was discovered in the backyard of a property on Lillian Cr, in Ashmore, about 8.45am on Sunday after police arrived at the scene to conduct a welfare check.
They were called to the scene by friends of the deceased and the owner of the property.
Police will allege there were “clear signs of violence”, but did not detail Mr Schneider’s injuries out of respect to the family.
Buchanan was located by police, and they will allege they found him with a vehicle of interest – a white 2005 Toyota HiLux – on Southport Nerang Road at Molendinar just before 1pm on Sunday.
He was only wearing a purple shirt and not wearing pants when police took him into custody, South Eastern Regional Crime Coordinator Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said.
Police will also allege he may have been under the influence of an intoxicating substance.
“He was wearing a shirt only, he would have stood out,” he said.
The alleged victim, who lived in a granny flat behind the Lillian Cr house, was last seen alive at Musgrave Hill Bowls Club around 7.30pm Saturday night.
Police are appealing for information or dashcam or CCTV footage from members of the public who may have been in the vicinity of Lillian Crescent on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
It is understood that police will allege the Victorian man may have driven Mr Schneider’s car to a nearby shopping complex at Southport-Nerang Rd at Molendinar, parking outside the RSEA Safety store.
Police are looking for sightings and footage of the alleged victim’s distinctive white 2005 Toyota HiLux utility with canvas canopy on the back tray and a camper set up on the roof. It has a registration plate reading 336 IUU.
They are looking for CCTV or dashcam footage of the vehicle from 6.30pm on Saturday night to 1pm Sunday afternoon.
“This is a tragic circumstance for a family, they are broken-hearted, this man is still quite young in today’s way of thinking, so we’re really keen to get to the bottom of it,” Supt Smith said.
Late on Sunday afternoon, police released bodycam footage showing officers finding the distinctive vehicle at the shopping centre.
In the footage, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle, including lifting its windscreen wipers.
Specialist scientific and forensic officers remained on scene on Monday morning where a mobile forensic unit police van, a mobile police beat van and a regular patrol car are still parked outside the house.
A number of residents in Lillian Cr have been questioned by police, with one man saying police had asked if his CCTV doorbell logged recordings.
“Police interviewed me already and asked if my doorbell had been recording inbound and outbound street traffic,” he said.
“The doorbell only records when is it pressed.”
The resident said he was “shocked” over the alleged murder and did not find out about it until media attempted to interview him on Sunday.
“We are shocked but we don’t feel unsafe as a family,” he said.
The man said it was a “tragic thing to happen” but seemed “isolated”.
A Lillian Cr resident and their relative, neither of whom wished to be named, said the death had shocked the quiet suburban street, which had experienced only a few break-ins in their time living there.
They told News Corp they did not know the deceased man or his wife personally, but they always appeared to be a quiet and pleasant couple.
“We’ve never had anything like this,” they said.
“You never really see them, but you never see many people coming and going here.
“It’s just tragic that someone has lost their life here – at Ashmore, on the Gold Coast.”
The pair said their usually calm cul-de-sac was “absolutely packed” with police when the man’s body was discovered on Sunday morning.
They said at least one of the man’s neighbours was crying when speaking to officers at the scene.
A heavy police presence remained at the Ashmore home by Sunday afternoon as crime scene investigators continued to collect evidence.
The rest of the street was almost silent by comparison, with only barking dogs and passing cars breaking the quiet.
Anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage in the vicinity of Lillian Cr overnight and this morning have been urged to contact police.
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