Shandee’s Story: Jury’s one-sided view of accused killer
Only a small selection of messages exchanged between Shandee Blackburn and her accused killer were read to a jury, and they painted her in the worst light.
Only a small selection of hundreds of messages exchanged between Shandee Blackburn and her accused killer John Peros were read to a jury – and they painted Shandee in the worst possible light.
The sample Mr Peros’s top criminal defence lawyer Craig Eberhardt offered to read aloud in the courtroom during his 2017 murder trial was agreed to by the prosecutor Joshua Phillips.
In this version of the relationship between Peros and Shandee, it was Peros who appeared measured and balanced, in contrast to Shandee who was demanding and aggressive.
Jurors didn’t hear menacing and threatening messages from the champion amateur boxer and diesel fitter, such as the one where he said: “You’d be in a coma if you were a guy.”
A trial document called Exhibit 23 features in a new episode of investigative podcast Shandee’s Story. It comprised the relatively small selected sample from almost 2000 messages police took from Shandee’s iPhone 3 after she was stabbed to death while walking home from work in Mackay, Queensland in 2013.
In these, Shandee nagged and badgered Peros, while he was submissive and tolerant, patient and generous.
Shandee: “Oy, if you can f..king text that slut, you can text me and f..king tell me what’s going on.”
Peros: “I’ve known her for over four years. She is a friend and that’s how we talk. Okay. And do not call my friend a slut. That’s not fair … Stop getting jealous and flipping out over this. I do have friends and I will talk to my friends.”
Shandee: “I’ll judge all I want. You think you have the right to call me a fat lazy piece of shit, I can judge her all I like. Maybe you should have a bit more respect for your girlfriend and stop telling the c..t all of our problems. I don’t care how long you’ve known her.”
Peros: “I haven’t told her our problems. Okay. I have respect for you. Okay. I never tried to flirt with her at all. You’re being so crazy about this … I don’t lose my shit at you for talking to your friends. I have a girlfriend and that is you, Shandee Blackburn.”
Shandee: “Bullshit c..t. You’ve been all over Facebook and fulltime texting that slut.”
Peros: “She is no threat to us. Please be calm.”
Other messages read aloud by Mr Eberhardt for the jury were similar.
In the jury’s absence during a break in proceedings, judge Jim Henry addressed the prosecutor and defence lawyer.
Justice Henry said he had been left with the impression that the messages were “the only ones as between those two people that were detected”.
He also said that he thought the jury might have been left with the same impression.
The prosecutor was silent.
Mr Eberhardt said the messages went to explain or clarify a letter Mr Peros wrote and sent to Shandee, titled Things about Shandee I Don’t Like.
Justice Henry responded: “Well, it’s a matter for the parties whether they want to take any of that further.”
It might have been a cue to the prosecutor to get more messages in to paint a fuller picture, but that didn’t happen.
Here are some of the messages the jury didn’t get to here:
Shandee: “Im so sick of u making me feel worthless and useless and telling me my life is not worth living.”
Peros: “F..k you make me so f..king angry. Stop texting me. I hate you so much.”
Shandee: “John please stop insulting me and calling me a fat lazy piece of shit and telling me to jump off a bridge.”
Peros: “You have caused me so much trouble and heartache. Just leave me alone.”
Shandee: “Heartache? You told me to jump off a bridge and that suicide is the best thing I can do for everyone.”
Shandee: “U look so beautiful when u smile but I just want to hold u and never let u go when u cry.”
Peros: “You’re a f..kwit attention seeking dry p...y c..t good luck on your holiday with no money you lying fat C..T F..K OFF.”
Shandee: “Maybe I should’ve told you the truth about something else – and you could’ve just ended my life like you promised.”
Peros: “You just hoped you die if you lied – lol. Well I guess I’ll have to wait then.”
Shandee’s Story is an investigation by The Australian’s Hedley Thomas. Episode 11, Lollies, is available to subscribers.
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