A convicted murderer is set to learn his sentence following the brutal killing of his former girlfriend and the subsequent burning of her body in a secluded area.
Lachlan Young, aged 23, is scheduled to appear today in the Victorian Supreme Court in Ballarat, where Justice James Elliott will deliver the verdict.
Initially, Young pleaded not guilty to the murder of Hannah McGuire, asserting that her death was an unplanned event. This defense was presented during his trial.
However, after eight days of testimony, Young confessed to strangling McGuire in the bathroom of their shared home in Sebastopol at approximately 2:30 a.m. on April 5.
Following the murder, he placed McGuire’s body in the footwell of her Mitsubishi Triton, drove to a remote bushland area in Scarsdale, and set the vehicle on fire.
In an attempt to cover his tracks, Young used McGuire’s phone to send messages to her mother, Debbie, falsely implying that McGuire intended to end her own life.
He then transferred $2000 from McGuire’s bank account to her mother and $5000 to himself.
At Young’s pre-sentence hearing last month, crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill urged Justice Elliott to impose a lengthy prison sentence.
Young had been abusive and controlling towards McGuire for months, and he was motivated to kill her because of male entitlement, jealousy and rage, Churchill said.
“Her final moments must have been filled with terror,” the prosecutor told the court.
Young’s barrister Glenn Casement argued the judge should be lenient in sentencing, noting his client’s young age, troubled upbringing, substance abuse issues and poor mental health.
But Casement conceded the only evidence of remorse was Young’s guilty plea and a note from his sister in her letter of reference.
Dozens of McGuire’s friends and family sat through the two-day hearing in October, where victim impact statements were also read aloud.
Hannah’s mother Debbie McGuire vowed to never forgive Young, telling the 23-year-old she hoped he experienced intense pain every day for the rest of his life.
She, her husband Glenn and other loved ones are once again expected to pack the Ballarat courtroom today.
In a post on their business’ Facebook page, the McGuires said they would conduct themselves with integrity regardless of the sentence imposed.
“We will forever be grateful for your love and kindness throughout what has been an unimaginably difficult time for our family,” the social media post read.
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