Jury finds Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler guilty of murdering Jake Anderson-Brettner
A Tasmanian man who shot and dismembered his friend before disposing his body parts in wheelie bins has been found guilty of murder, as more gruesome details are revealed about his death. LATEST >>
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A jury has found Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler guilty of the murder of Launceston man Jake Anderson-Brettner.
Sadler, 29, shot Mr Anderson-Brettner three times at his Riverside home on August 15, 2018.
He then decapitated and dismembered the body.
The jury spent four hours deliberating on Wednesday afternoon and returned the unanimous verdict after about 30 minutes of further deliberations on Thursday morning.
With the assistance of his then-partner Gemma Clark, Sadler disposed of Mr Anderson-Brettner’s torso down an embankment in the area known as the Sideling, off the Tasman Highway.
They placed the other body parts into garbage bags and disposed of them in wheelie bins around Launceston.
The Smith Wesson pistol used was purchased by Sadler about 12 months earlier.
He lined the room, known as the shoe room, where Mr Anderson-Brettner was killed with plastic and prior had asked Clark to purchase disposal overalls, gloves, garbage bags and bleach.
Sadler had pleaded not guilty to the murder and had claimed Mr Anderson-Brettner was killed by a Victorian drug dealer over a debt after a meeting at his house with three men from interstate got heated.
The court has heard Sadler and Clark used a wood heater in the house to dispose of items including their clothing and the plastic from the shoe room where Mr Anderson-Brettner was killed.
During his evidence Sadler said he and Mr Anderson-Brettner had been friends and from 2014 had arranged for him to be supplied with ecstasy and later cocaine.
His defence counsel had argued he had been guilty of being an accessory after the fact of murder, but hadn’t killed Mr Anderson-Brettner.
The trial began on May 4 and was circumstantial case.
Clark, who was in the room adjacent at the time of the killing previously told the court she heard someone say “please man, don’t, please man, stop” and a sound like cupboard doors been slammed.
Dr Christopher Lawrence the state forensic pathologist conducted the autopsy of Mr Anderson’s torso, the only body part ever located despite extensive searching.
He said two of the shots were fatal and the dismemberment of the body would have taken about half an hour.
Less than 24 hours before the murder Sadler met with former lawyer Adrian Hall and had discussed how to dispose of a body, and according to Clark had been regularly listening to the song Dead Body Disposal.
The court was told of text messages from Sadler’s phone to acquaintance Michael Jenkins dating back to June 2018 saying “had enough being f**ed around by Brettner” and on August 10 he messaged he was “going to flog” Mr Anderson-Brettner.
In the evening of August 15 Clark purchased baby oil, cayenne pepper and chilli powder which was placed in the garbage bags by Sadler to reduce the smell.
She is serving time in jail after pleading guilty to being an accessory after the fact of murder and failing to report a killing, and received a reduced sentence after agreeing to give evidence at Sadler’s trial.
Long deliberations in murder trial – May 19
THE jury in the murder trial of Launceston man Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler will resume on Thursday morning after failing to reach a verdict after four hours of deliberation on Wednesday.
Mr Sadler is accused of shooting Jake Anderson-Brettner three times on August 15, 2018, before cutting off his head, arms and legs.
Mr Sadler has pleaded not guilty to the murder and in his account said Mr Anderson-Brettner had been shot by three drug dealers from Victoria over a debt when a meeting at his house had become heated.
The 10 men and two women on the jury retired to consider their verdict at 12.55pm after Justice Robert Pearce summed up the evidence from the 11-day trial and gave his directions.
He said the possible verdicts were guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, not guilty of murder but guilty of being an accessory after the fact, or not guilty of all crimes.
Justice Pearce said Mr Sadler could be found guilty of murder if he had aided and abetted another person or was part of a joint criminal enterprise.
He urged the jury members to leave emotions out of their decision and put aside any emotional reaction to the evidence.
Justice Pearce said the state’s case against Mr Sadler was based on circumstantial evidence, with the only witness being his then-partner Gemma Clark who was in the bedroom next door to the room where the shooting occurred.
He said the key issue was did Mr Sadler shoot Mr Anderson-Brettner.
“It’s not in dispute that the person who fired the three shots caused his death,” Justice Pearce said.
Justice Pearce said the prosecution alleged Mr Sadler “acted in such a heinous way” it could only be because he was guilty of shooting Mr Anderson-Brettner.
He said the defence said the actions of Mr Sadler were carried out in fear.
After four hours of deliberations, the jury forewoman announced they would stop and continue on Thursday.
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