Man, 75, gets seven years for shooting son-in-law TEN TIMES in row over terminally-ill daughter's $1.8M life insurance
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: A 75-year-old protective father has been sentenced to seven years of imprisonment for firing a barrage of shots at his terminally ill daughter’s husband amid a dispute over a $1.8 million life insurance for his daughter.
William Terence Murrell shot ten rounds at his daughter Danielle Uskovic’s husband Mirko Uskovic at Wahroonga on Sydney's upper north in what he claimed was an attempt to scare him. Murrell faced Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court via an audiovisual link on Friday, August 26, where the court sentenced him to seven years in prison for shooting his son-in-law.
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Murrell was first arrested in 2020 and since had been behind the bars. The retired train driver was originally arrested with the charges of attempt to murder but pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He also admitted to possessing prohibited drugs, an unauthorized pistol, and a prohibited firearm.
The court heard that Murrell had become “irate” when Mirko, 49, filed for divorce from his daughter Danielle, 47 after she got diagnosed with MND. Danielle was diagnosed with rapid onset motor neuron disease in June 2019. Mirko and Danielle had been married for 22 years and had four kids together but the tension between the couple started getting intense after she got diagnosed with the disease.
In an affidavit presented in the court, Danielle said Uskovic turned rude towards her after her diagnosis and started taking money from her life insurance. In 2020 right before her divorce, Danielle received a $1.8 million life insurance payout. Looking at Uskovic’s behavior Danielle decided to leave the couple’s house at Wahroonga on Sydney’s Upper North Shore and chose to live with her parents with her youngest son. Murrell told detectives Uskovic had 'virtually kicked [Danielle] out' out her house, according to an agreed statement of facts tendered in court. He even revealed that his son-in-law had forbidden him and his wife from entering their daughter’s home between 2007 and 2019 and refused to look after his wife after her diagnosis.
Danielle paid her husband $350,000 to vacate the Highlands Avenue property and he was supposed to be out by 4 pm on November 12, the 18th birthday of the couple's oldest child. But just a day before that Murrell drove to Uskovic’s home and decided to ‘scare the hell out of him but changed his mind as he got to the front door and turned around. The next day, he again turned up at his son-in-law’s house but this time with two loaded guns.
Uskovic was about to leave the residence after picking up his stuff when he found his father-in-law standing with a shortened rifle aimed at him. He was wearing a high-visibility vest over a black hooded jumper, sunglasses, black gloves, and a face mask. “He pointed his rifle at the victim and began shooting and shot the right side of his neck,” Judge Antony Townsend told the court. “Somebody help me,” Mr Uskovic yelled. Murrell continued to fire up to six bullets in the direction of his son-in-law, who ran around the front yard as he continued to scream for help.
Hearing the gunshot, Uskovic’s neighbor came to his rescue and called the cops. Before cops arrived, Uskovic picked up a metal pole from his surroundings and started beating Murrell in his defense “Mr Uskovic managed to strike the offender in the face with the long pole, knocking him to the ground and causing the offender to drop the rifle,” Judge Townsend said. But when the cops arrived the scene was completely changed. The officials found Murrell with fractured to his eye socket, collar bone, and nose, while Uskovic was holding the gun.
Murrell tried to blame Uskovic for beating him and creating a scene. “They separated, and I was asked to come in, he’s moving out at 10, uh 4 o’clock this evening, and he sees me … and he attacks me, and when I was getting the best of him he started screaming, and I’m nearly 75, he got the best of me,” Murrell told police.
Uskovic issued a victim impact statement to the court, which said he still “suffers” the reminders of that day and often experiences thoughts of self-harm and PTSD symptoms. Judge Townsend said Murrell’s remorse was “limited” and said he could not make a finding the 73-year-old was unlikely to offend again. “This was not spontaneous, it was considered and calculated … I accept the decision to act in the manner he did must be seen in the context of his family situation,” he said.
Murrell was sentenced to seven years and six months with a non-parole period of four years and six months, to be backdated to his arrest. Murrell will be eligible for parole in May 2025.