Relatives of Kardell Lomas tell Brisbane court of immense heartbreak

Relatives of an Ipswich woman killed by her partner have revealed they only learned she was pregnant when her dead body was discovered in the boot of a car.

Kardell Lomas was found dead in a Raceview backyard at seven months’ pregnant.

Relatives of a pregnant woman killed by her partner have told a Brisbane court of the immense heartbreak they have felt since learning of her untimely death and that of her unborn son.

Traven Lee Fisher, 39, faced the Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 8 for the 2019 manslaughter of his girlfriend Kardell Lomas after indicating last week that he was ready to enter a plea.

He pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to a count each of manslaughter, killing an unborn child, and interfering with a corpse on an unknown date between December 5 and December 11, 2019.

Asked why a guilty plea of manslaughter was accepted, the Director of Public Prosecutions said it “won’t be making any comment as the matter is ongoing”.

Ms Lomas was 31 years old and seven months’ pregnant with Fisher’s child when her decomposing body was found in the boot of an abandoned car behind a Raceview home.

An anonymous phone call alerted police to her death and nominated Fisher as being involved. Officers established a crime scene shortly thereafter.

Prosecutor Todd Fuller said it was impossible to know exactly how she and her unborn son died due to the bodies’ level of decomposition, but certain injuries pointed to her being choked.

She also suffered “unexplained” fractures as well as various abrasions that, according to the prosecution, likely occurred while her body was being moved.

Mr Fuller said Fisher and Ms Lomas had a “tumultuous” relationship. They were together for a short time, both used drugs, and both had children with other people.

In the months preceding her death, the court heard Ms Lomas was spotted with injuries to her lip – which she said were inflicted by Fisher – on two occasions.

Police attended their house two times in Ms Lomas’ final 12 months after neighbours claimed to hear fighting, but Ms Lomas made no complaints and sought no assistance.

Defence barrister James Godbolt said there was also no suggestion of injury to her on either occasion.

Ms Lomas’ body was found in December, 2019 at 10 McGill St in Raceview. Picture: AAP / Attila Csaszar

On the afternoon of December 8, the prosecution said a neighbour reported hearing the pair argue for about 10 minutes and Fisher say: “Get up, you dog. Get up.”

Mr Fuller said Fisher then contacted a number of his associates and told them he needed “assistance” as well as a Ute, a tin box, and money for petrol.

One such person attended Fisher’s home.

“When (the person) arrived, he was asked by Mr Fisher if he could help him move something,” Mr Fuller said.

“When he asked what it was, he replied: ‘It’s Kardell. She’s inside. She OD’d. She’s taken heaps of pills‘.”

When the man suggested they call an ambulance, Fisher said “it was too late”.

Mr Fuller said Ms Lomas’ death likely occurred on the afternoon or evening of December 8, meaning her body would have been in the boot of the car for about two days before it was discovered by police.

During this time, the court heard Fisher sent messages to relatives asking them to let him know if they saw Mr Lomas and to her own phone asking her why “she always takes off”.

He claimed that he fell asleep on December 7 or 8 after taking some medication for his back injury and woke to find Ms Lomas missing.

Kardell Lomas. Picture: Supplied

Ms Lomas’ brother Adair Lomas delivered an emotional statement to the court on Wednesday about the “despicable act” which killed his sister and the unborn child who would have been his nephew.

“This (act) not only broke our family but destroyed it,” he said.

“Kardell didn’t deserve this. Neither did that unborn child.

“Our family will never be the same again …”

He said he hoped the justice system would keep “this animal” behind bars forever.

“I hope you suffer in a dark hole like you left my sister,” he said.

“Own it c**t.”

Another relative of Ms Lomas, her cousin, told the court her family discovered she was pregnant “at the same time” they discovered she had died.

Fisher’s defence barrister said his client did not intend to cause the death or serious harm of anyone.

Mr Godbolt acknowledged there was a level of deceit in the way Fisher behaved after killing Ms Lomas and raised that his intellectual capacity was limited, as had been demonstrated in his interviews with police.

He said that while Fisher did have a criminal history, there were only two entries – albeit more than two episodes – for serious offences of actual violence when he was 19 or 20 years old.

He said any suggestion by the prosecution that his relationship with Ms Lomas was physically violent must be “met with some caution”.

Justice Peter Davis decided to reserve his decision on sentencing given the complexity of the case.

Originally published as Relatives of Kardell Lomas tell Brisbane court of immense heartbreak