Court told Paul Cohrs killed his mother and brother after years of fighting over financial matters

A former deputy mayor went on a shooting spree before calling his solicitor and leaving a voicemail saying he had killed his mother and brother, a jury has heard.

Paul Cohrs is standing trial in the Supreme Court. Picture: Ian Currie

The mother of a former regional deputy mayor feared her son would kill her, a jury has been told.

Paul Cohrs, 64, is standing trial in the Supreme Court for the murder of his 81-year-old mother Bette Cohrs-Schulz at her Red Cliffs home, south of Mildura, in late 2018.

The jury heard Ms Cohrs-Schulz feared her son, telling a friend in 2016 he had access to guns and could shoot her.

“She told (her friend) the accused had threatened her and she was frightened he would shoot her,” sergeant Damon Abbey, then part of the homicide squad, told the court.

Paul Cohrs is accused of murdering his 81-year-old mum Bette Cohrs-Schulz.

On October 30, 2018, she was gunned down by her son inside her home shortly after he shot dead his brother, Raymond Cohrs, across the border in NSW, following years of feuding over family business dealings.

CCTV footage was shown to the jury of Cohrs calmly fuelling his car and purchasing an Oak iced coffee after killing his brother and mother.

Wendy Nunn, the cashier at the Wentworth Caltex, said Cohrs appeared his “usual self”, just a little quieter.

Cohrs remarked to the cashier “it’s going to be a hot day” before footage showed him casually walking back to his car and driving away.

Cohrs returned to his Lake Victoria Station homestead, where the body of his dead brother Raymond lay outside the shearing shed where real estate agent Michael Fernandez was held captive.

The jury was shown a re-enactment by Mr Fernandez of the deadly shooting and his attempts to free himself from handcuffs using a large wrench inside the shed.

Mr Fernandez had attended the property with Raymond to conduct an appraisal as there were plans to sell the homestead to pay off business debts, the jury was told.

The re-enactment depicted Mr Fernadez imprisoned in the shed, given only a chair and water by Cohrs prior to him setting off to kill his mother.

In a triple-0 call, Cohrs told police it was his grandmother who had been killed.

“I just turned up there and she’s dead,” he told the emergency call taker.

Asked for her name, Cohrs said: “No, I’m not prepared to … okay … see ya” before telling them her great grandson was in the house and ending the call.

The jury heard he then called his solicitor, leaving the voicemail “It appears the court case is over, I assume. I have just shot Raymond dead, I’ve also shot my mother dead. I don’t believe I will live the rest of the day out”.

Cohrs turned his gun on himself as police arrived at his property but survived with a wound to the chest.

Cohrs is claiming he was suffering a delusional disorder at the time of the shootings and should be found not guilty due to mental impairment.

The jury heard in 2012, when Cohrs was Wentworth Shire’s deputy mayor, he believed the council building was bugged and that people were listening in on his conversations.

He was let go from council in 2015 or 2016 due to his behaviour, which also included grudge holding.

Cohrs killed his mother and brother after years of fighting over financial matters involving the family’s two roofing businesses, valued at $14m.

The jury heard Cohrs also suspected Raymond killed their father, who died by suicide in 1984, and was doing things to deliberately sabotage him.

That included snapping the neck of his pet cockatoo and causing mechanical issues with his car.

Cohrs was also accused of bad behaviour toward his brother, including putting his laptop outside in the rain and removing the hinges of his office door so anyone could walk in.

The jury heard the brothers had a physical altercation years prior to the shooting.

As the pair fought in an office in 2017, Cohrs was heard saying: “He’s trying to break my fingers”.

Both brothers accused each other of improperly spending family business funds, with Ms Cohrs-Schulz taking Raymond’s side.

The dispute was in progress in the Supreme Court at the time of the shootings.

Months prior to her death, Ms Cohrs-Schulz told a family member: “If I was known to be terminal or something, I would shoot him (Cohrs) for what he’s doing to Raymond and the family.”

The trial continues.