Shandee Blackburn murder: witnesses to toxic relationship missing from murder trial

The trial for the murder of Shandee Blackburn didn’t hear from a long list of people who could have testified about the toxic nature of her relationship with the accused killer.

Shandee Blackburn with John Peros; his trial didn’t hear from people who could have testified about the toxic nature of their relationship.

Champion amateur boxer John Peros’s trial for the murder of his former girlfriend Shandee Blackburn didn’t hear from a long list of people who could have testified about the toxic nature of their ­relationship.

Some witnesses who had given sworn statements to police were conspicuously absent when crown prosecutor Joshua Phillips read to the jury at the opening of the 2017 trial the names of people who would give evidence.

Their absence is detailed in a new episode of investigative podcast series Shandee’s Story, dealing with the lead-up to and start of Mr Peros’s trial for the 2013 stabbing murder of Blackburn in Mackay, Queensland.

Episode 10 of Shandee’s Story deals with the lead-up to and start of the Shandee Blackburn murder trial.

Among those missing was her friend Steve Phillips, who heard their rows and told police Blackburn confided that Mr Peros said: “If I ever wanted you dead, all I have to do is make one phone call.”

Nicola Curro said Blackburn was scared of Mr Peros, and Breanna Shepheard had heard Mr Peros’s extreme voice messages on the HeyTell app and witnessed Blackburn’s fear – but the jury wouldn’t hear from either of them.

Cameron Maltby told police Mr Peros, his close friend, seemed to be taking a long time to get over his break-up with Blackburn, wishing her harm. And he said in the months after the murder, when they were discussing who would want to kill Blackburn, Mr Peros said: “I’ve thought about it a couple of times.”

Mr Maltby said he took it to mean Mr Peros had thought about killing Blackburn.

In a pre-trial Supreme Court hearing, judge Jim Henry was concerned the comment could be unfair and damaging to Mr Peros. “This is an ambiguous comment, in the extreme,” he said.

“This is in the context about reflecting on who’s killed Shandee. Why would he not think about it – if he was an innocent man?”

When the trial started, Mr Maltby was off the witness list.

Blackburn’s mother, Vicki, knew about the explosive volatility in the relationship. She wasn’t called either.

Arnold Di Carlo, Blackburn’s friend from Mackay’s nightclubs, said in his statement that she had told him Mr Peros wanted her dead.

He wasn’t called by the crown.

Justice Henry’s strong reservations about the case he was presiding over is also revealed. Speaking at a preliminary hearing before the trial began, he said police had evidence that at its highest placed Mr Peros’s vehicle in the neighbourhood, but a local criminal and ice user named William Daniel was also in the area. “It’s certainly not a style of killing that would be inconsistent with an iced-up meth addict getting out of hand with the assault to rob the person,” Justice Henry said.

“At the moment, you’ve got some fairly shaky motive and presence in the neighbourhood. You wouldn’t describe that, by any stretch, as a strong case.

“I’m a trial judge presiding over a case that does have a sniff that this is a very weak prosecution case. Have they really charged the right man here? Should they have taken more time instead of having relented and deciding to charge someone when they did?”

He added: “Anyway, these are all general observations. I just find it helpful to have talked it through, so you’re aware of some of my thinking, in case.”

The prosecutor, Mr Phillips, responded at the time that he had “nothing to say” about the comments. A jury acquitted Mr Peros in less than two hours. He denies any involvement.

Shandee’s Story is an investigation by The Australian’s national chief correspondent Hedley Thomas.