Darryl Valroy Young, 63, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 40 years for the murders of Mervyn Schwarz, Maree Schwarz, and Graham Tighe on August 4, 2022. The jury found Young guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Friday at the Queensland Supreme Court in Townsville.
Justice Christopher Johnstone described Young's actions as "heinous," stating the farmer opened fire on the family with a rifle "like he was killing feral animals on your property." Graham Tighe's brother, Ross Tighe, was also shot in the lower torso but survived and underwent emergency surgery. He managed to drive 40 kilometers to get phone reception and alert authorities.
Young claimed the victims had stolen livestock, which led to the fatal confrontation. He had summoned them to a meeting at his property gate around 8 a.m. on the day of the killings. The jury deliberated for three days following the four-week trial.
A photograph taken approximately six hours after the shootings showed Young giving a thumbs-up in a selfie. Renewable energy worker Liam Parnell, who was at the property with colleagues for testing, was asked by police to take the photo along with others as a measure of their presence. Parnell testified that Young appeared "relaxed" throughout the afternoon and did not exhibit any change in demeanor. The workers had arrived about half an hour before the shooting occurred. They were later separated and questioned by police. Only Young was charged in connection with the homicides.
Chilling crime scene photographs were presented as exhibits, showing a cowboy hat and work boots near Mervyn Schwarz's body in the dirt driveway of Young's cattle station. Graham Tighe's body was found nearby, close to Maree Schwarz, who was slumped in the driver's seat of a vehicle. A sign at the property gate warns trespassers, and the driveway was marked with evidence markers during the police investigation.