A man who invoked the name of Australian music icon John Farnham as part of his defense in a murder case has been sentenced to over twenty years behind bars.
On Thursday, 56-year-old John Sheffield faced sentencing in the Victorian Supreme Court, receiving a 22-year prison term with a minimum of 16 years before parole eligibility. This came after he was found guilty of the brutal murder of his 63-year-old housemate, Kenneth Magee, on December 2, 2024, at their home in Werribee.
Sheffield, a former diesel mechanic, initially concocted a story claiming that he was unable to hear the fatal assault on Magee because he was engrossed in listening to John Farnham’s hit song “You’re the Voice.”
During the trial, the court was presented with evidence that Mr. Magee suffered severe head trauma, consistent with being bludgeoned with a hammer while seated on the couch.
Initially, Sheffield told authorities that an intruder had entered the home and attacked Magee. However, he later confessed to removing the hammer from his housemate’s head, further implicating himself in the crime.
He later admitted pulling the hammer from Mr Magee’s head.
‘It was a brutal assault upon Mr Magee in his own home during which you intended to cause him really serious injury,’ Justice Rita Incerti said.
‘You used a weapon capable of significant harm and set upon his head, a particularly vulnerable part of the body.’
Mr Magee had acted as Sheffield’s unofficial carer.
John Sheffield bashed his mate’s head in with a hammer
When detectives asked Sheffield what he’d been doing at the time, he told them he’d been blasting John Farnham tunes in his bedroom.
He maintained the lie up until March when he agreed to plead guilty to murder after being provided with a sentence indication by Justice Incerti.
A forensic examination found multiple skull fractures and brain injuries consistent with at least five impacts.
Sheffield had rang triple-0 himself after smashing in his carer’s skull.
‘Someone just broke in, he hit me mate on the head with a hammer, I don’t know who it was, they’ve left the front door open,’ he claimed.
‘I just walked out there to get a drink and I seen him on the couch with his head smashed open. I don’t know how long ago, I’d been in me room listening to music.’
Police found no signs of forced entry.
Justice Incerti said Mr Magee’s horrific death had shocked his family.
No reason was given by Sheffield as to why he decided to murder Kenneth Magee (pictured)
Family and friends of Kenneth Magee leave the Supreme Court of Victoria last month
‘Mr Magee’s death is a terrible tragedy that has had a devastating effect on his family and loved ones,’ she said.
‘The sentence I impose is not a measure of the worth of his life. Rather, it reflects a range of factors that I am required by law to consider.’
Mr Magee’s daughter Christine Magee told the court her life ‘imploded’ after receiving a phone call saying her father would not survive, followed minutes later by confirmation of his death.
She described years of panic attacks, depression, extreme weight loss, an eating disorder and being forced to leave her career as a chef.
‘His life was stolen by someone he once called a friend, in the safety of his own home,’ she said.
Mr Magee’s sister, Alison Menzies, told the court she learned of her brother’s death by seeing his photograph on the evening news.
She described severe grief, recurring nightmares, anxiety, financial strain and the compounded trauma of losing three siblings in four years.
‘Ken was given a death sentence. I have been given a life sentence,’ she said.
Sheffield claimed he’d been playing John Farnham (pictured) tracks loudly when his mate was murdered
The judge accepted Sheffield had significant mental health issues including schizophrenia, along with multiple physical conditions, and that the relationship with Mr Magee had been volatile at times.
Sheffield’s barrister, John Desmond, had attempted to push blame on Mr Magee, describing him as a violent thug.
However, Justice Incerti found insufficient evidence of provocation on the night of the murder and only limited reduction in Sheffield’s moral culpability.
She noted imprisonment would be more burdensome due to his health but emphasised the seriousness of the offending.
Sheffield has already spent 521 days behind bars.
