Margaret Anne Otto and Bradley Scott Purkiss found guilty of murdering Dwayne ‘Doc’ Davies

UPDATED: A Supreme Court jury has returned its verdict in the murder trial of Margaret Anne Otto and Bradley Scott Purkiss after five hours of deliberations.

A jury has found Margaret Anne Otto and Bradley Scott Purkiss guilty of murdering Dwayne Robert Davies. Picture: Ink Addiction

THERE were exclamations of relief from Dwayne “Doc” Davies’ family members as a Supreme Court jury foreman today announced Mr Davies’ wife and his friend were guilty of murder.

It took the jury about five hours over two days to unanimously find Margaret Anne Otto, 47, of Risdon Vale, and Bradley Scott Purkiss, 43, of Elderslie, guilty of murdering Mr Davies on May 26, 2017.

Purkiss shot Mr Davies in the head and back and buried his body in a shallow bush grave at Levendale.

Otto was not present when Purkiss killed her husband but the jury found she was involved in planning the killing, which meant she was also criminally responsible.

From left, Dwayne Davies’ niece Danielle Lush, sister Kelly Goss, father Glen Davies and stepmother Karen Davies leave the Supreme Court in Hobart.

After the verdict was announced, Crown prosecutor Madeleine Wilson said Otto and Purkiss both had “longstanding grievances” with Mr Davies and crystallised a plan to murder Mr Davies during a phone call and meeting at Otto’s workplace on Friday May 26.

Ms Wilson said Otto wanted to escape a bad marriage and Purkiss felt used by Mr Davies because Mr Davies was smoking his cannabis and owed him money.

“This crime was a cold, calculated execution,” Ms Wilson said.

She said the crime involved “a chilling betrayal of a friend and husband”.

As Ms Wilson was outlining what she said was the most likely sequence of events leading up to and following Mr Davies’ murder, Mr Purkiss, who was seated in the dock, said: “A load of s***. You’ve got it so wrong.”

Mr Davies’ father Glen Davies told the court his son was “murdered by the wife he adored and her secret lover”.

“He was no saint, he was no angel, but he was my son and I love him very much,” Glen Davies said.

“I know that sometimes he would have been very difficult to live with but that was mostly due to the pain [he suffered from medical complaints].

“He was a good man with a very big heart which was filled with love.”

Glen Davies told the court his son was “murdered by the wife he adored and her secret lover”.

Glen Davies said he lost another son, Corey, about six months before Dwayne was murdered.

He said he had photographs of both sons throughout his home to “keep their memories alive”.

“It more resembles a death house than the happy home it once was,” Glen Davies said.

“The pain Margaret has caused so many people is beyond anything I could ever imagine.”

In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Allison Shand, Dwayne Davies’ sister Kelly Goss said she and Otto had been friends since high school.

“The girl I’d loved as my own sister and shared my life with for most of my life I didn’t know at all,” Ms Goss said.

“I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

Dwayne Davies’ sister Kelly Goss said she had known Margaret Otto since high school.

Purkiss and Otto have been remanded in custody and are expected to be sentenced by Chief Justice Alan Blow on Wednesday.

Purkiss’ lawyer Pip Monk said Purkiss was employed in the prison garden crew and intended to make the most of his time in prison.

“Mr Purkiss is not someone who comes before you as someone with a history of violence,” Ms Monk said.

Otto’s lawyer Greg Melick, SC, said his client was “subjected to continual emotional abuse” by Mr Davies.

Mr Melick said Otto had a brief affair with Purkiss but that had ended some time before the murder.

He said Otto had complained about Mr Davies to Purkiss on Friday May 26, but “she never contemplated murder”. He said she was horrified and “in some ways felt responsible”.

Mr Melick said Otto was a trusted prisoner and involved in many prison welfare groups.

EARLIER: THE wife and friend of a Risdon Vale tattoo artist have both been found guilty of his murder.

It took a Supreme Court jury in Hobart about five hours to unanimously find Margaret Anne Otto, 47, and Bradley Scott Purkiss, 43, of Elderslie, guilty of murdering Dwayne “Doc” Davies on May 26, 2017.

Purkiss shot Mr Davies in the head and back and buried his body in a shallow bush grave at Levendale.

Otto was not present when Purkiss killed her husband but she was involved in planning the killing.

The jury deliberated for four hours on Friday and returned today.

Chief Justice Alan Blow will now hear submissions about the impact Mr Davies’ death has had on his family and will sentence the pair on Wednesday.

Chief Justice Blow on Friday told the jury it had three options for a verdict in the case.

He told the 12 jurors Margaret Anne Otto could be found guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of the lesser charge of being an accessory after the fact to murder, or not guilty of either crime.

Chief Justice Blow said the case in relation to Ms Otto was “a case about instigating”.

“It doesn’t matter whose idea it was in the first place,” he said.

“She’s only guilty if she said or did something with the intention of getting Mr Purkiss to kill her husband.”

The trial began on September 3.