Bogie triple murderer sentenced to life with 40 years before parole

Darryl Valroy Young will spend at least 40 years in prison for killing three neighbours at his Bogie cattle station and attempting to kill a fourth man.

A Supreme Court jury convicted the 63-year-old of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after a trial lasting almost four weeks. Justice Christopher Johnstone imposed life sentences for the murders of Mervyn and Maree Schwarz and their son, Graham Tighe. The sentences will run concurrently. Young also received 16 years for shooting Graham’s brother, Ross Tighe, who was wounded in the abdomen and escaped the remote property near Bowen.

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It was, in the truest sense, an execution-style killing.

The court heard that Young invited the neighbours to the station gate and accused them of stealing cattle before opening fire with a rifle. Mervyn Schwarz, 71, was shot in the head. Maree Schwarz, 59, and Graham Tighe, 35, were shot in the head and back.

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You killed three members of one family and attempted to kill a fourth as if you were killing feral animals.

Young argued that he had not been at the scene and that rifle cartridges found at his home did not belong to him. Prosecutor Monique Sheppared described the attack as “an execution-style killing” and said his attempt to create a false alibi showed that he was “particularly conniving and manipulative.” Justice Johnstone said Young had shown complete disregard for human life.

“You killed three members of one family and attempted to kill a fourth as if you were killing feral animals,” the judge said. “They were humans, they were your neighbours.” He also rejected Young’s accusations that the victims had stolen cattle, saying there had never been evidence that Graham had stolen from him. The judge further condemned Young for instructing his lawyers to suggest that Ross Tighe was responsible for the murders.

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They were humans, they were your neighbours.