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A memorial to Shane Ross and Cameron Martin at Martin Sheils Park in Tallebudgera
A memorial to Shane Ross and Cameron Martin at Martin Sheils Park in Tallebudgera

Unsolved killings: The ones that got away in 2019

QUEENSLAND police boast a 96 per cent clean-up rate for murders in 2019, but three deaths — along with three hit-and-runs in recent months — remain the state’s biggest unsolved crimes of the year.

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Jason Guise with Olympian friend Chantelle Newbery
Jason Guise with Olympian friend Chantelle Newbery

Jason Guise

Jason Guise’s body lay hidden in a sewage tank for a fortnight before sanitation workers made the grisly discovery.

The 45-year-old father from Wynnum was last of April 21 visiting Rosie’s — a food truck for the disadvantaged

Among Mr Guise’s friends was gold medal winning Olympic diver Chantelle Newbery who was left shattered by his death.

“Nooo, please don’t be dead,” she wrote.

“I don’t believe you are dead Jason. F*** call me now. Tell everyone they are wrong! Love ya mate. Please be OK.”

Motives for his gory demise are unclear however.

Mr Guise spent time in prison shortly before his murder and was devastated at returning home to find many of his possessions gone.

“I can’t stop thinking about all my stuff that got sold,” he wrote on Facebook on March 29.

“My car, bikes TV clothes, pictures of my kids..

“But you know what really, really hurts is a little jewellery box I made for my mum in high school.”

His father Barry Guise flew into Brisbane from NSW to make an impassioned plea to help solve the murder.

“Jason was no angel, lived life, enjoyed the outdoors, met Steve Irwin once — if he did anything wrong, he’d always wear it,” Mr Guise said.

“As a family, we all miss him … please help us find out what happened to Jason.

“If you know who is responsible for the committed crime that resulted in Jason being found in a sewage tank, please call Crimestoppers — somebody knows something.”

Shane Ross and Cameron Martin died in bizarre circumstances.
Shane Ross and Cameron Martin died in bizarre circumstances.

Shane Ross and Cameron Martin

Gold coast bikie Shane Ross and his friend and business partner Cameron Martin met for a quiet beer at the Pimpama tavern on the night of October 18.

Hours later both would be murdered in bizarre circumstances.

A Comanchero, Ross was shot dead during a mysterious meeting at Martin Sheils Park in Tallebudgera. He was 36 with a wife and kids.

Martin, 47, Ross’s Monstr Clothing business partner, was also shot but managed to climb into his Mercedes. He only made it a kilometre when his car crashed into a tree. His lifeless body was pulled from the wreckage.

Whether the park rendezvous was an ambush or a meeting gone wrong in a volatile underworld is unclear but Ross was not without his enemies.

Police have thrown serious resources at the hit job but are struggling to solve the case.

Last month they set up a re-enactment scene at the park, including a replica of the 2015 white Mercedes, in a bid to jog the public’s memory.

Hit-and-run victim Jim Murphy, 76
Hit-and-run victim Jim Murphy, 76

Jim Murphy

Rockhampton man Jim Murphy was crossing the road outside the Brunswick Hotel on Archer St about 8.25pm on Saturday, August 17.

But as the 76-year-old proceeded to step off the kerb and walk across the bitumen, a distinct purple Ford Falcon approached.

The driver struck him and later dumped the car on Port Curtis Road, about six kilometres away.

Since the discovery, and Mr Murphy’s passing, police have been working through a list of people connected to the vehicle, but have been unable to find the culprit. 

People who knew Mr Murphy spoke of a kind man who loved horse racing and was a keen poker player.

Mr Murphy suffered severe internal and leg injuries in the crash and succumbed to them in the hospital the following morning.

Police said he had just left the Brunswick Hotel but he was not intoxicated.

Stephen Moore was the victim of a hit-and-run in Gladstone.
Stephen Moore was the victim of a hit-and-run in Gladstone.

Stephen Moore

The 58-year-old grandfather was walking down Red Rover Rd in an industrial part of Gladstone when he was struck by a suspected four-wheel-drive on August 25, sometime before 7pm.

His family say his car may have suffered a breakdown nearby, because it was notoriously unreliable.

Police believe a white four-wheel drive station wagon - possibly a GQ Nissan Patrol with a black snorkel on the left-hand side - could be the vehicle in question.

Mr Moore was a grandfather of 13 and has been remembered as a “gentle giant” by family.

On the night in question he was found by a passing motorist about 7pm lying in the middle of the road.

He had suffered multiple serious injuries to his head, torso and limbs and died at the scene.

Julie Thomsen was struck by a car while walking along the Warrego Highway.
Julie Thomsen was struck by a car while walking along the Warrego Highway.

Julie Thomsen

The 36-year-old Gatton mother had been walking back to her car from a nearby service station when she was struck and killed by a vehicle on December 14.

Her and a man were headed 200 metres back to Ms Thomsen’s car between 10.30pm and 11pm when a passing vehicle struck her and she died from her injuries at the scene a short time later.

Ms Thomsen was a mother to seven children and a grandmother to two more.

Sadly, Ms Thomsen’s son was informed of his mother’s passing via the social media app Snapchat.

And first responders to the scene were visibly shaken by the tragedy, one said.

Earlier this month, police released images of car parts that were fractured during the impact and could form a crucial part of the investigation. 

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/crimeinfocus/unsolved-crimes-the-ones-that-got-away-in-2019/news-story/86aacbe9db7e75816747867c3e844f6b