A killer failed to show any genuine remorse for torturing Bradley Breward to death over a stolen car on New Year's Day in 2017, a court has heard.
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Murderer Mark Rodney Jones was sentenced to 22 years' jail after a jury unanimously found him guilty of murdering Mr Breward at a Newnham unit.
A letter detailing the 43-year-old West Launceston man's remorse was handed to Justice Robert Pearce during sentencing submissions on Thursday.
Jones, Izard enter the supermarket at 33 seconds
But during sentencing on Friday, Justice Pearce said the killer failed to show any genuine remorse, which needed to be separated from self-pity or anguish at his own situation.
During Jones' second police interview, which lasted for two hours, the only time the killer showed emotion was when he spoke about going to great lengths to dispose of Mr Breward's body because he was afraid to lose his life and wanted to raise his son.
"I got a baby boy ... he needs a dad. I didn't want to lose my life," the killer said.
"I've destroyed my life."
In December 2016, Jones became obsessed with finding his uninsured Nissan Patrol that was stolen from Westbury Road at Prospect, where it was parked to promote its sale.
The self-employed builder stopped work so he could spend hours following up sightings and information he'd received about the vehicle's location after using social media to spruik a $5000 reward for the return of the Patrol.
Justice Pearce said the car was of particular important to Jones because it was worth more than $20,000 and it was being sold because his family badly needed money to pay for back surgery for Jones' partner Rebecca Bailey.
Jones was told Mr Breward was responsible for the theft so a $1000 bounty was offered for the victim's location, which led to a woman named Tina Robertson contacting the killer.
At 9am on the day of the murder, Tina Robertson told Jones that Mr Breward was sleeping on her boyfriend Cody Lee's couch at Newnham.
Jones and his employee Ricky Izard arrived at the unit wearing gloves and masks shortly after being given the address.
Jones interrogated and tortured Mr Breward in a bid to find out where his car was, but the victim didn't give him any information and that made Jones angry.
In an ordeal which lasted up to 30 minutes, Mr Breward was punched, kicked, waterboarded and a plastic bag held around his head by Jones.
MURDER TRIAL
Izard told Jones to let Mr Breward breathe, but the killer said he didn't want the victim to breathe.
Mr Breward told Jones he was dying, but Jones said he thought the victim was being stupid, so he again wrapped a plastic bag around Mr Breward's head.
The bag was removed after Jones counted to 40, but Mr Breward was blue and wasn't breathing.
Justice Pearce said he was satisfied Mr Breward died due to suffocation, but he was not satisfied Jones intended to kill or knew the injuries he was inflicting would likely cause death because it was contradictory to his attempt to get information about the car and giving the victim CPR.
Justice Pearce said Jones had been searching for Mr Breward for almost a month, so the victim's defiance led to the killer's anger intensifying and he lost perspective of his actions.
An ambulance was not called, instead Jones and Izard started a full-day expedition to find somewhere to dump the body and conceal their crime.
Mr Breward's body was put in Jones' car after being wrapped in a beanbag and tarpaulin.
MURDER TRIAL
- DAY 4 AM: Jury visits unit where Bradley Breward allegedly killed
- DAY 4 PM: Mark Jones and two other men tried to give Bradley Breward CPR
- DAY 5 AM: Bradley Breward's injuries detailed by forensic pathologist
- DAY 5 PM: Mark Jones didn't leave unit in fear of looking like a 'goose'
- DAY 6: Prosecutor says jury can be satisfied Mark Jones guilty of murder
- DAY 7: Alternative verdict of manslaughter offered to jury
The killer and his accomplice drove to Woolworths to buy food and cleaning products for Mr Lee, while Mr Breward was in the boot.
The pair then drove around Lilydale for several hours looking for a mineshaft to dump the body, before returning to Launceston to buy a raft from Kmart and stopped at a Latrobe house to pick up 35-kilograms of weight plates that the former bodybuilder had borrowed to a friend.
Electrical cord and rope were used to wrap the plates like a harness around Mr Breward's naked body before using the raft to move his body into the water at Lake Eugenana, also known as Melrose Quarry.
The killer said he knew the area well because he spent a lot of time there as a child growing up at Forth.
Jones and Izard changed their clothes after dumping the body and drove to a friend's house at George Town to burn everything that could potentially have DNA on it, including the raft, their clothes and Mr Breward's clothes.
Jones told police he went to such great lengths to dispose of Mr Breward's body because he didn't want to get caught.
He also admitted he didn't know if Mr Breward was actually responsible for the car theft.
The killer turned to look at his crying partner before he was escorted out of the Supreme Court after being sentenced.
He will be eligible for parole in 2030.
Izard was sentenced to 10 years' jail with a non-parole period of six years after pleading guilty to manslaughter, aggravated burglary and perverting the course of justice.
Both men's sentences were backdated to February 2, 2017.