Paul Cohrs locked in bitter family dispute before mum, brother killed
A former deputy mayor accused of gunning down his mum and brother was locked in an ugly family business dispute before their deaths.
Police & Courts
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An ex-deputy mayor accused of killing his mum and brother near Mildura was embroiled in a bitter dispute over the family’s businesses with revenues of $14m in the years before their alleged murders, police claim.
Paul Anthony Cohrs, ruled unfit to stand trial for murder, was locked in a Supreme Court battle with his brother Raymond when he allegedly shot him dead before driving 75 minutes to kill his mother, 82-year-old Bette Cohrs Schultz, in October 2018.
The former deputy mayor of NSW’s Wentworth Shire, who has pleaded not guilty and has been representing himself in his murder case, will be reassessed over his fitness to stand trial in six months’ time after doctors confirmed he had refused antipsychotic medication for a diagnosed delusional disorder.
Court documents from his fitness hearing reveal that Paul, 62, sought to retire from family businesses Sunraysia Roofing and Roofing Mildura - with revenues of $5.9 million and $8.1 million respectively - three years before the killings.
But police allege that his relationship with Raymond was “strained” as they negotiated his exit terms and their mother took the eldest brother’s side.
Raymond sued his younger brother over their feud in 2016, with Paul then counter suing, as the dispute continued to rage in the Supreme Court at the time of the deaths.
Court papers show his mother expressed concern that Paul’s behaviour was putting the family business at risk, prompting him to send her an email that read: “Mrs Schultz, I have exhausted all other avenues keep your eye on the court news to see how your only son Raymond has been deceiving and stealing from us over the years I will expect an apology.”
About the same time, Mrs Cohrs Schultz allegedly told a friend that Paul had “threatened her and she was fearful he would shoot her”.
On the morning of October 30, 2018, Paul turned up to the family’s tourism riverside property at Lake Victoria Station in Rufus, NSW, which Raymond was getting appraised for sale.
Court documents claim he asked real estate agent Michael Fernandez, “What are you doing with this liar and thief?”
As Mr Fernandez took photos of the property, it’s alleged Paul took a single barrel gun from his car and shot his brother twice from 10 metres away.
“He deserved it. He’s ruined our lives. He’s killing my wife,” he allegedly told Mr Fernandez before walking up to his brother, lying on the ground.
“Have you had enough pain yet? What’s it like to feel pain,” he asked Raymond, according to police, before allegedly shooting him twice more.
Court papers claim Paul handcuffed Mr Fernandez in the shearing shed and drove 120km across the Victorian border to Red Cliffs, where his mother - in the kitchen after returning home from shopping with her great-grandson, 4 - was shot dead with a single bullet.
“It’s done, it’s over,” Paul allegedly said on the phone to his son Karl afterwards.
Documents state he then called police to say his “grandmother” had been shot, then called his daughter Kellie and said he was “at peace with what I’ve done.”
To his lawyer, he allegedly said: “It appears the court case is over. I just shot Raymond dead and I’ve also shot my mother dead. I don’t believe that I’ll live the rest of the day out …”
Police claim that officers later saw Paul shoot himself in the scrub at a family property at Lock 7, then repeated over and over, “I can’t believe I’m not dead”.
“I just shot my brother and my mum. … They are the most evilest people in the world,” he allegedly told officers.
Paul has been sent to Thomas Embling forensic mental health hospital and will return to Victoria’s Supreme Court in six months where a judge will reassess his fitness for trial over his mother’s murder.
Following that, he would be extradited to NSW to face a murder charge over his brother’s death.
For 24/7 crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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