Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
RAYWOOD murderer Maxwell John Pain has been sentenced to 23 years’ jail for the 2014 murder of David Paris.
He will be eligible for parole after 18 years, and has served more than three years in custody.
Pain, 55, appeared at the sentencing in the Melbourne Supreme Court on Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of murder. He will be behind bars into his 70s.
Pain, who lived at Neilborough at the time of the murder, shot and killed Mr Paris on the night of June 10, 2014. Mr Paris was the son-in-law of Pain’s wife Tracey Bush, and Pain wrongly suspected the pair of having an affair.
A committal hearing in Bendigo in 2015 was told details of the murder.
The court heard Pain had been abusive towards Ms Bush, who was fearful of him. He had threatened to break her hands and “punch the f*** out of her” if he found out about an affair. Pain also believed he could smell Mr Paris on his wife.
In April of 2014, Mr Paris’ mother found out about Pain’s suspicions, which she described as “ridiculous”.
The court heard Pain became increasingly volatile towards his wife, which culminated in the events of June 10.
Ms Bush had left Pain to live with her daughter and Mr Paris at their house in Raywood the previous day.
They were cooking dinner with a friend, Don Romey, when Pain drove up the driveway about 7pm.
Everyone was ordered inside the house. Mr Paris walked towards Pain’s ute, who drove past the house and then did a u-turn before pulling up alongside him.
The court was told Pain shot Mr Paris in the stomach. Mr Romey told the court he approached Pain as he held the shot gun, placing his hands on his shoulders and telling him to leave.
Pain drove away, only stopping momentarily on the driveway.
Mr Paris was confirmed dead shortly before 8pm. A text message from Pain was found on Mr Paris’ phone, which said he was coming for “Davey boy”.
Pain made full admissions to police and pleaded not guilty to murder. He was found guilty after a trial.
Speaking outside court, Mr Paris' mother Deborah told reporters "the sentence was fair".
"The way I see it is I have to live without my son, I've been sentenced, and it's only fair that he wake up every day in prison serving a sentence," she said.
Mr Paris died trying to protect his loved ones, his mother added.
"He would do anything for anyone. I brought him up to be responsible and strong and Max Pain knows, like everyone else who knew my son, that he would protect his own, and that's all he was doing."
- with AAP