A Supreme Court jury has found Long Gully woman Kate Stone guilty of the 2016 murder of her partner, Darren Reid.
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Stone doused Mr Reid in enamel thinner and set him alight at their Derwent Drive home late on the night of December 18, 2016.
Following the verdict, Stone told her lawyer in court ‘it is what it is’ and urged her family members to remain calm.
Members of Mr Reid’s family said outside the court they were ‘quite happy’ with the outcome.
Justice Lesley Taylor thanked the jury for their diligence and patience, in what was a “long and difficult trial’’.
The trial, day by day:
- Day 1: Murder trial begins for woman accused of setting partner alight
- Day 2: Murdered Bendigo man in fear for his life, mother tells court
- Day 3: Couple heard yelling in hours before fatal Long Gully fire
- Day 4: Murdered man told paramedic he did not know attacker, court hears
- Day 5: Daughter says three men set father on fire in Long Gully
- Day 6: Murder accused told police men were to blame for death
- Day 7: Man denies talking ‘revenge’ after confrontation with murdered man
- Day 8: Man not in area night of fatal Long Gully attack, court hears
- Day 9: Neighbours heard death threats before murder, court hears
- Day 10: Man tells court he was home the night of Darren Reid’s murder
- Day 11: Long Gully murder accused said she 'did it', neighbour tells court
- Day 12: Long Gully murder trial hears DNA evidence
- Day 13: Fire expert gives evidence to Long Gully murder trial
- Day 14: Murder accused’s police interview played in court
- Day 15: Forensic evidence points to guilt, prosecution says
- Day 16: Murdered man’s words show Stone is not guilty, defence says
Mr Reid suffered burns to 85 per cent of his body and his upper airways, injuries doctors deemed were not survivable.
He was airlifted to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne, and died the following afternoon.
Ms Stone had pleaded not guilty to Mr Reid’s murder.
Stone’s defence counsel, Peter Kilduff, said there was no argument Mr Reid was murdered, but asserted it was – as per his client’s version of events – intruders who inflicted the terrible injuries.
Stone named some men she claimed were involved, pointing the finger at one in particular the same night of the attack, but police ruled out four men potentially involved early on in their investigation.
This case was rejected by the jury, who instead found the Crown proved, beyond reasonable doubt, it was Stone who was responsible.
The jury’s determination came after four weeks of evidence, 41 witnesses, and more than 1277 pages of transcript.
The jury retired on Monday to consider its verdict. A pre-sentencing hearing is set for March 1, 2019 in Bendigo.
Mr Reid’s family members said they were ‘quite happy’ with the trial’s outcome.
“At the end of the day, there is no winners in this case,” Michael Auditori – Mr Reid’s brother - said outside the court.
“We’ve lost a family member and the kids have lost their father, so there is happiness, but there isn’t.”
Mr Reid’s mother, Valda Webb, said the family had hoped and prayed the jury would make the right decision.
“We had confidence in our legal team and that’s all that matters,” she said.
Members of Mr Reid’s family attended every day of the trial.
“There was no option,” Ms Webb said.
Mr Auditori said they were there to represent Mr Reid.
“He’s not here to defend himself, defend what happened on the day. We’re looking out for answers ourselves.”
He said the trial had provided the family with some answers.
“That’s all we could really hope for,” Mr Auditori said.
“You’ll never get all the answers, and we never expected to get all the answers.”
Family members remembered Mr Reid as a supportive man with a ‘heart of gold’.
Mr Reid’s sister, Janyne Auditori, said the past two years had been the hardest of her life.
“It will never bring him back,” she said tearfully.
Stone’s family maintains her innocence.
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