The man accused of killing my son is ‘a mate’
TWO years on and the small town of Millmerran is still trying to heal from the incident that saw 46-year-old Matthew David Morcus shot dead.
The small community was left fractured by the events at a Cypress Gardens home on October 13, 2016, when a quiet night at the town’s bowls club turned deadly.
Things have been especially tough for Matthew’s father, Alphonsus, who yesterday gave evidence in the Supreme Court trial of a man police believe killed his son.
What makes it even harder for the 75-year-old is that he describes the same man, Kevin Patrick Hanley, as a mate.
“It’s been pretty hard to come here,” he said.
“The whole situation has been pretty hard because Kevin and (his partner) are pretty good friends of mine.”
Millmerran has a population of 1563 and throughout the course of the trial yesterday, numerous witnesses gave evidence regarding how tight-knit the community is.
Many recalled instances of bumping into families of the accused and deceased in the street and casual greetings in the time since Mr Morcus died.
It’s that close proximity that has also strained ties in the community.
“My partner’s daughter has a block of land near (Kevin and his partner) so we know each other pretty well,” Alphonsus Morcus said.
The trial is expected to hear from 39 witnesses throughout the course of this week including firearm specialists from Brisbane and officers from the Dalby, Toowoomba and Millmerran police districts.
The trial before Justice Martin Burns continues.