‘WITCHES MADE ME DO IT’
’The witches of hell made me do it’
A MAN said the “witches of hell” made him kill a homeless man in Tweed Heads four years ago. Brendon Troy Griffiths told police a “switch flicked” before he sprinted at Hoani Shaune Love, 48, and elbowed him as hard as he could in the head. Griffiths, 42, was this month given 16 years jail for the murder. “I feel like the witches of hell just reached up and got into my decisionmaking capacity.”
A MAN who blamed the “witches of hell” for making him kill a homeless man in Tweed Heads has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Court documents reveal Brendon Troy Griffiths told police a switch flicked in his head before he sprinted at Hoani Shaune Love and elbowed him in the head.
Griffiths, 42, was sentenced on September 7 for murdering Mr Love, 48, after a jury convicted him in the NSW Supreme Court in July.
Justice Stephen Campbell stated in his decision Mr Love had been drinking with friends at Wharf St outside the Tweed Centro Shopping Centre when he was hit by Griffiths about 6pm on September 27, 2014.
His decision states Griffiths and another friend were trying to get a morphine-based pain killer from Mr Love.
“Mr Love, who was highly intoxicated, noticed him and commenced staring at him speaking to him in derogatory language,” Justice Campbell wrote.
“When Mr Love told the offender to go away in loud and vulgar language, (Griffiths) became angry and walked behind Mr Love, grabbing his head, forcibly extending his neck and pushing his thumbs into Mr Love’s eyes.” He stopped after the other men remonstrated with Griffiths.
“He started to walk away but he told police ... ‘a switch in my head just flicked and I turned and sprinted at (Mr Love) and I’ve elbowed him as hard as I could’,” the decision reads.
When asked by police how far he ran, he said: “Ten, 20 or 30 metres. Enough to get a good sprint up and have good solid contact. I feel like the witches of hell just reached up and got into my decision making capacity and just took control for a few seconds.”
Mr Love’s head struck the pavement as he fell. He died three days later at Gold Coast University Hospital.
Special forensic pathologist Dr Dianne Little’s evidence stated the blow to the head caused bruising to the right forehead area and facial fractures around his eye socket. There was also a skull fracture probably caused when Mr Love’s head made contact with the ground. Mr Love had a blood alcohol reading of 0.327 when admitted to hospital.
IN sentencing, Justice Campbell considered Griffiths’ schizophrenia, disordered personality traits and substance abuse disorder. However, he found that Griffiths’ mental state at the time was not beyond a point where his liability for murder should be reduced to manslaughter.
Griffiths will be first eligible for parole on October 12, 2026.