‘Murderer’ Jeremy Choolum who stabbed Alice Springs father of nine in the heart jailed for life

A court has heard it was ‘a matter of great sadness’ to the deceased man’s children that their father was unable to meet his twin grandsons who were born on his birthday.

A court heard the man’s death was ‘practically inevitable’ after Jeremy Choolum stabbed him in the heart and lung with a kitchen knife.

A Territory man who stabbed a father of nine in the heart with a kitchen knife will spend at least 20 years in prison after admitting to police he “murdered” him.

Jeremy Choolum was last month found guilty by a Supreme Court jury of murdering the other man after a drunken dispute in Alice Springs in April 2020.

The 47-year-old had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter but the jury found he at least intended to cause his victim serious harm when he repeatedly stabbed and slashed at him.

The court heard Choolum had been drinking at a unit on Gap Rd when the other man went to visit a friend in another unit in the same building on the afternoon of April 3.

The deceased man and another friend sat outside drinking beer until they left to go home at about 11.40pm, and Choolum called out to them from across the road.

After some back-and-forth, the other man started walking back towards Choolum and they continued arguing before the confrontation escalated and Choolum pulled out a 15cm kitchen knife.

In sentencing, Chief Justice Michael Grant said Choolum “stabbed and sliced” his victim at least 11 times, including a strike that penetrated his lung and heart, making his death “practically inevitable”.

Chief Justice Grant said Choolum then asked another man to call the police and told the arresting officers he had “murdered” the victim after he “threatened me too much”.

“I had a knife in my pocket and the fellow keep chasing me, keep chasing me, so I didn’t like it, so I had a stab, another stab,” he told them.

But Chief Justice Grant said Choolum’s actions were “entirely disproportionate” to any threat and it had not been suggested he was provoked or was acting in self-defence.

Chief Justice Grant said a victim impact statement tendered on behalf of the dead man’s wife and nine children spoke of their ongoing grief, stress, anxiety and depression.

“It is a matter of great sadness to the deceased’s children that their father was not able to meet his twin grandsons who were born on his birthday following his death,” he said.

“It is a matter of great sadness to the family that their father will never be able to walk any of his daughters down the aisle, or to enjoy his life in retirement with his partner.

“With the death of their father, they have lost a great source of practical, emotional and financial support.”

Chief Justice Grant sentenced Choolum to the mandatory minimum of life in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years.