IS HE DEAD FOREVER?
Wife of murdered former bikie pleads for answers as her girls’ hearts break not knowing what happened to their dad
THE devastated widow of brutally murdered Monstr Clothing owner and dad Shane Ross has launched an emotional plea on behalf of their young daughters for people to come forward and reveal why he was killed. Alex Ross yesterday joined the father of Mr Ross’ business partner Cameron Martin – also fatally shot at Burleigh Heads last October – to appeal for information to help solve the slayings. Police, looking to offer a reward, criticised a “cone of silence” and called for people to come forward anonymously. “Our three-year-old wants to know if Daddy is coming back ... ‘will he stay dead forever mummy’?” Mrs Ross said.
“WHY did he leave and will he stay dead forever mummy?”
Those are the questions the widow of Shane Ross is confronted with daily, as his family comes to terms with his horrific murder.
Mr Ross and his Monstr Clothing business partner Cameron Martin were killed last October in Martin Shiels Park, Burleigh Heads.
Mr Ross’s wife Alex and Mr Martin’s father, Ted Martin, yesterday made emotional pleas for information about the double murders.
Mr Ross was murdered execution-style in the park, while Mr Martin was shot while trying to flee. He crashed a white Mercedes Benz into a tree off Tallebudgera Creek Rd, 1km from where his friend was shot.
Before Mr Ross’ body was found in the park, police had treated Mr Martin’s death as a fatal car accident.
An autopsy on Mr Martin revealed he had died from a fatal gun shot to the chest.
Mrs Ross yesterday described Shane as a “gentle” man and a loving father.
“I ask that you look beyond the tattoos, many of which are in honour of my daughters and I, including the ‘A’ inscribed on his face.
“A young father has had his life cut short in the most despicable way. There is no justification for that. Shane was not an arrogant or aggressive man and a choice from his very distant past did not define him as a human being.
“Shane was a gentle man. He was kind, caring, incredibly funny and he loved our children beyond words. We were his everything and alike, he was ours. No amount of benevolence or pleading will bring him back and the shock and trauma of his absence will follow my daughters and I every day for the rest of our lives.”
She said her daughters were struggling to comprehend their devastating loss.
“Our three-year-old daughter wants to know if daddy is coming back. She wants to know when he is coming home, why did he leave and will he stay dead forever mummy?
“Those are the questions I suffer through daily. Those are the questions that reflect the pain and suffering that has been inflicted on innocent children as a result of my husband’s senseless murder.
“They want to know why someone has taken their daddy away from them and at the very least, they deserve those answers.”
Mrs Ross said her husband had been robbed of the opportunity to watch his daughters grow up.
“He was a man who had fought hard to better himself in every way possible and had reached that point in his life, where he was the best version of himself,” she said.
“He was so undeserving of this. It is hard to fathom how anybody could justify taking his life in such a horrific way and give no thought to the impact this will continue to have on our family.
“He’s been robbed of the opportunity to watch our daughters grow, they no longer have their dad tucking them in and wishing them sweet dreams. They can’t tell him about their day at school and they don’t have him to guide them through life. They desperately miss that.”
Ted Martin said his son was just a boy from the bush with a high sense of values.
“He spent all of his younger life in the bush,” he said. “He went to school all over northern Australia.
“His life experience and life skills were learnt in some of the toughest camps in the country. His sense of values were very, very high.
“He was generous, kind, he was known as the gentle giant everywhere he went. He had many good mates.
“His life was cut short and the opportunity for him to see all the rest of his dreams will never happen. That is not fair in anybody’s language.”
Mr Martin made a plea for anyone with information to come forward.
“Our family miss Cameron desperately. We will remember him for the man that he was,” he said.
“We seek some closure on this absolutely senseless act of murder and pray that Cameron may one day rest in peace with his friend Shane Ross.
“Someone must know or have information on why these boys were murdered and the person, or persons who were involved.
“If you have any knowledge or information on the circumstances surrounding this absolutely horrific act of basterdry, or help bring the perpetrators to justice, could you please, please contact Crime Stoppers or the local Gold Coast CIB.”
OUR THREE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WANTS TO KNOW IF DADDY IS COMING BACK, SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHEN HE IS COMING HOME, WHY DID HE LEAVE AND WILL HE STAY DEAD FOREVER MUMMY? ALEX ROSS