Paul Cohrs pleads not guilty to shooting murder of his mother, Bette Cohrs
A former deputy mayor and firearms enthusiast has been met with derision from his own relatives, who scoffed after he pleaded not guilty to murdering his elderly mother near Mildura over a bitter property dispute.
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The relatives of a former deputy mayor have scoffed in court after he pleaded not guilty to the shooting murder of his elderly mother.
Paul Cohrs, 59, ex-deputy mayor of Wentworth Shire Council and firearms enthusiast, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his 82-year-old mother Bette Cohrs in Red Cliffs, near Mildura, last October.
It comes weeks after NSW police formerly charged him with the murder of his older brother, in a case that shocked two states.
Mr Cohrs will face a Supreme Court trial, with a directions hearing on August 26.
Wearing prison greens, Mr Cohrs appeared via video link and took notes throughout the nine-minute hearing.
He spoke only to confirm his plea of non-guilty.
Family members of the victim scoffed in court as he made his plea, with relatives of both the victims and the accused attending the hearing, sitting at opposite ends of the courtroom.
A toxic family dispute over a property is believed to be the motive behind the alleged killings.
Police allege Mr Cohrs arranged a meeting with his brother at the isolated Lake Victoria property on October 30.
Landmark Harcourts real estate agent Michael Fernandez was also present and allegedly held hostage when Ray was killed.
Mr Cohrs then allegedly drove to his mother’s property near Mildura and killed her in front of her four-year-old great grandchild.
The child was not injured but remained in the home for some time after the shooting.
Police allege Mr Cohrs later returned to Lake Victoria and shot himself, suffering critical injuries which he later recovered from.
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A fortnight ago, NSW issued an arrest warrant for Cohrs over the murder of his brother Ray Cohrs, 63, at Lake Victoria Station the same day.
He is facing eight charges in NSW, including detaining a witness, which relates to the allegations that he held Mr Fernandez hostage during the killing.
This means he could face a separate murder trial in NSW after the Victoria case is finalised.
A NSW police statement said detectives are “monitoring the outcomes of these proceedings for the return of Paul Cohrs to the state of NSW to answer the charges.”
Cohrs was the president of the Mildura Sporting Shooters Association of Victoria at the time of the shooting.
He spent three years on council and resigned in mid-2015 after an apparent rift with the mayor.