Jake Anderson-Brettner hit with three gunshots, two of which would have been fatal, murder trial hears

Jake Anderson-Brettner was killed when he was shot in the back – and then twice in the chest – with a pathologist telling a court that two of the shots “would have caused death”. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

THE first shot fired at Jake Anderson-Brettner struck him on the back followed by two shots to his chest, a court has heard.

Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Anderson-Brettner, 24, in August 2018 and is on trial in the Launceston Supreme Court.

During his evidence on Thursday, state forensic pathologist Dr Christopher Lawrence – who conducted Mr Anderson-Brettner’s autopsy – said both the first and third shots were lethal, travelling through chambers of the heart.

“Without resuscitation he would have died very quickly, both were lethal shots, both would have caused death,” Dr Lawrence said.

Dr Lawrence said Mr Anderson-Brettner’s head, legs and arms had been removed with a combination of a knife and a chopping instrument such as a hatchet or axe.

When asked by Director of Public Prosecutions Daryl Coates SC if it was possible a saw had been used, Dr Lawrence said he couldn’t be certain.

He told the court he estimated the process took about half an hour because they had cut through the bone rather than joints.

“The head had been removed in a somewhat unusual way,” Dr Lawrence said.

“Normally it’s cut through at the level of the jaw, but this was cut quite high, part of the jaw was still attached to the body,” he said.

Dr Lawrence told the court the lack of blood in the incisions indicated the dismemberment was performed after the death of Mr Anderson-Brettner.

Dr Lawrence described the gunshot wound of the second shot as “atypical” and said the bullet had hit something before it hit the body, either clothing or the right arm.

He said the body was probably in contact with the ground when the bullet struck because it had mostly come out but had then rebounded back into the body.

Dr Lawrence said it was not possible to determine the distance the gun was fired from, except that it was further than a metre away.

The court heard the bullets from the second and third shots were recovered during the autopsy.  

Ballistics expert Senior Constable Simon Taylor said the calibre of both bullets was “consistent in size with being 9mm” and had characteristics consistent with being fired from the Smith and Wesson pistol found at Mr Sadler’s property.

He told the court he was able to determine that three fired cartridge cases police had found in a drain at Mr Sadler’s Riverside home were fired from the same gun.

Massive cash find in alleged killer’s car

NEARLY $90,000 in cash was located by police in a black Jeep of murder accused Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler, a court heard on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Mr Sadler killed Jake Anderson-Brettner on August 15, 2018, at his Dion Crescent home in Riverside.

Mr Sadler is on trial in the Launceston Supreme Court and has pleaded not guilty to murder.

The court heard Detective Constable Leighton Riggall was one of the officers to find the cash on August 18, 2018, after police had seized the vehicle.

He said it was later counted and found to be a total of $87,480.

MORE FROM THE TRIAL:

Fiancee recounts night of partner’s death

Accused killer disposed of body parts in wheelie bins

Accused grilled lawyer on the ways to dispose of body

Ex-girlfriend penned lover letter to accused killer out of fear

The jury previously heard the car was found by police the day before on Andrea Place, a street near Dion Crescent.

The court has previously heard allegations the Jeep was used by Mr Sadler and his former partner Gemma Clark when they disposed of garbage bags containing body parts of Mr Anderson-Brettner into wheelie bins.

When Ms Clark appeared in court earlier this week, she said Mr Sadler had told her “not to mention the Jeep, the Jeep didn’t exist” when she was questioned by police.

Ms Clark said he had become angry when she told him that she had spoken of the vehicle during her interview.

Detective Amanda Munro, who attended the Dion Crescent house on August 19, 2018, said during her testimony last week, paperwork relating to the purchase of the Jeep was found in a bedroom at the house.

Constable Riggall also attended the Dion Crescent house on August 16, 2018.

“The shoe room was not carpeted, which was inconsistent with the rest of the bedrooms of the house,” he said.

Constable Riggall said a cash counter machine was also located in one of the bedrooms.

Dr Paul Holloway, a forensic biologist with the Forensic Science Service Tasmania, said on Wednesday there were numerous places at Mr Sadler’s house where there was blood staining when he attended in the days after the alleged murder.

“The most obvious one was on a banister as you go up the stairs to the landing, there was a large red/brown stain that was later identified as human blood,” he said.

He also conducted examinations and took swaps from the Jeep, a black Range Rover and Mr Anderson-Brettner’s black Nissan Navara at a police garage after the vehicles were seized.

The court heard luminol tests conducted to detect the presence of blood had a positive response in a number areas of the Jeep.

Dr Holloway explained during the cross examination luminol can also react to a wide range of substances, including bleach and cleaning products.

The trial continues on Thursday before Justice Robert Pearce.