Men jailed for murdering Melbourne woman who 'snitched' about domestic violence
Updated
Two Melbourne men have been jailed for murdering a woman as punishment for making a family violence complaint to police.
Simone Quinlan, 33, was bashed, shot and dumped in a mineshaft where her body was set alight in August 2015.
Her boyfriend of four months, 31-year-old Brendan Neil, has been sentenced to 26 years' jail for viciously attacking the mother of two at his Melton home in Melbourne's west.
She had reported Neil to police weeks earlier for hitting her in the head with a baseball bat.
On the night of her murder, Ms Quinlan was taunted by Neil who beat her in front of a group of his friends, at one point taping up her head and telling her she "looked beautiful like that".
One of his friends, Wayne Marmo, had been smoking the drug ice and sat in the kitchen cutting down the barrel of a rifle during the vicious assault.
The 26-year-old told Neil they would need to get rid of Ms Quinlan as she had "snitched" to police before.
Marmo and Neil wrapped her body in a sheet and put her in the back of a ute.
It is not known whether Ms Quinlan was dead at that time.
Marmo drove to Kangaroo Flat in Bendigo with her body, stopping along the way to shoot her in the head after becoming concerned she was still alive.
He dumped her body in a mineshaft before setting it alight.
Meanwhile, Neil had gone to a pub to ensure he was recorded on CCTV.
Marmo has been sentenced to 22 years' jail for his role in the murder.
'Nothing will replace our daughter'
In the months before her death, Ms Quinlan, who did not have custody of her children, had lost contact with her family who became concerned and reported her missing to police.
Her remains were found a month later.
Outside court, Ms Quinlan's father, Wayne Quinlan, said he felt the men had got what they deserved.
"The end of the day nothing's going to replace our daughter or be a mother there for our grandchildren, but it's better than some of the outcomes I've seen in recent times," he said.
"I don't think I or my wife will ever lose the hatred of what they've done.
"Our families have to live with that going forward for the rest of their lives ... and her sons."
Neil will be eligible for parole in 22 years while Marmo will serve a minimum 20 years in jail.
Topics: courts-and-trials, murder-and-manslaughter, police, domestic-violence, melbourne-3000, bendigo-3550, kangaroo-flat-3555, melton-3337
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