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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

Inquest to be held into death of former Gold Coast Titans cheerleader

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A coroner will hold an inquest into the death of former Gold Coast Titans cheerleader Breeana Robinson, who died in 2013 after falling from a high-rise building.
  • The 21-year-old's death was initially investigated as a suicide, but police later charged her partner with murder, a case that was eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence.
  • The inquest will examine whether Robinson's death resulted from her own actions or third-party intervention, with her family concerned she did not take her own life.

A two-week inquest will examine the death of Breeana Robinson, a former Gold Coast Titans cheerleader who fell from her Southport apartment building in January 2013. Robinson, 21, was found critically injured and later died. The circumstances of her death, initially investigated as a suicide, have remained unclear for over a decade.

she did not take her own life

— Kim BrysonCounsel assisting the Coroner told the court that Ms Robinson's family still hold concerns about the circumstances of her death.

Coronial proceedings began in 2017 but were adjourned when police charged Robinson's partner, Daniel Shearin (now known as Jayden Moorea), with her murder. Moorea, the last person to see her alive, consistently denied involvement. However, in 2023, prosecutors dropped the charges, citing a lack of evidence, more than two years after he was committed to stand trial.

from her own actions or from third party intervention

— Kim BrysonCounsel assisting the Coroner told the court that the question of how Ms Robinson died needed exploring.

The Coroners Court in Brisbane heard that Robinson's family still harbors concerns that she did not take her own life. Counsel assisting the Coroner, Kim Bryson, told the court that the crucial question of whether her death resulted "from her own actions or from third party intervention" warrants an inquest. Bryson noted that police investigations into Robinson's state of mind suggested she "appeared to be happy and future orientated" and found no connection to mental health services.

The circumstances surrounding her death … is less clear, and in my view warrants the holding of an inquest

— Kim BrysonCounsel assisting the Coroner told the court that the case warranted an inquest.

Bryson also highlighted that Moorea was an "obvious suspect" given his presence at the time of Robinson's death. The inquest will focus on the couple's relationship, which began in early 2012 after meeting on social media. Although they broke up, Moorea later engaged in persistent and abusive communications. They reconciled later that year, and Robinson moved into his apartment shortly before Christmas. On the day of her death, Robinson had attended dance training and seemed excited about an upcoming holiday, with teammates and her cousin noticing nothing amiss.

appeared to be happy and future orientated

— Kim BrysonCounsel assisting the Coroner told the court that police investigations into Ms Robinson's state of mind suggested this.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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