Perth father found guilty of stabbing son to death before AFL Grand Final
A Perth father who stabbed his son to death, and then left his other two children to hide the body while he went to watch the 2016 AFL grand final, has been found guilty of murder.
A jury in the Supreme Court of WA on Thursday found Ernest Albert Fisher, 67, guilty of murdering his son Matthew Kyle Fisher-Turner, 23, in the family's Parmelia home in October 2016.
Matthew's body was found about four weeks after he was stabbed to death by his father, and Fisher initially told detectives he believed his son was "over east".
But he eventually came clean under police questioning and said he killed his son because Matthew was a violent and threatening "arsehole" towards his family.
Matthew's siblings Joshua Fisher-Turner, 28, and Hannah Fisher-Turner, 21, were also found guilty of being accessories to the murder.
The court heard the final straw was when Matthew insisted on borrowing his father's car, which triggered an argument because Fisher wanted to drive to friends to watch the AFL grand final between Sydney and the Western Bulldogs.
After the killing, Fisher started digging a grave in the rear garden, then left the house to watch the match.
He left it up to Joshua to bury his brother, while Hannah helped carry the body outside on a ladder.
Both said they cleaned up other evidence.
"We all said we should just tell the cops," Hannah initially told detectives, but Fisher had refused.
He had started digging the hole, but left to watch the Grand Final at a friend's house, telling detectives that was his "priority".
Asked why she didn't call police after her father left, Hannah replied: "It seemed wrong to turn on him."
The court heard the family had been unravelling since the death of its matriarch in 2014, and two of the other children, Joshua Douglas Fisher-Turner and Hannah Jayde Fisher- Turner, also said Matthew had been violent and aggressive.
All three initially pleaded not guilty to the crime, with Fisher claiming he acted in self-defense.
Fisher now faces a possible life jail term.
The children also face jail sentences.
with AAP