Darryl Valroy Young, a cattle farmer convicted of murdering three of his neighbors, has filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence just days after being handed a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years.
The 63-year-old was sentenced on Monday following a four-week trial in the Queensland Supreme Court in Townsville, where a jury found him guilty of attempted murder and three counts of murder. The sentence is believed to be the longest imposed by a Queensland judge, exceeding the 30-year mandatory minimum for multi-victim murderers.
Young killed Mervyn Schwarz, his wife Maree, and her son Graham Tighe on August 4, 2022, at the gate of his cattle station in Bogie, southwest of Townsville. He also shot and wounded Graham Tighe's brother, Ross, who managed to escape and alert authorities. According to trial evidence, Young believed the victims had stolen livestock.
Justice Christopher Johnstone described Young's actions as "thoroughly cowardly and absolutely ruthless," stating, "You killed three members of one family and attempted to kill a fourth, as if you were killing feral animals on your property. Except they were not animals, they were humans."
During the trial, exhibits included a selfie taken by Young six hours after the murders, showing him giving a thumbs-up. Crime scene photos depicted the victims' bodies at the scene, with one showing a cowboy hat and work boots near Mervyn Schwarz, and another showing Maree Schwarz slumped in the driver's seat of a LandCruiser, with Graham Tighe's body nearby.
Young has been in custody since the day of the murders. If his appeal is unsuccessful, he will be 99 years old before he is eligible for parole.
