A man who murdered his longtime friend, dismembered his body, and hid the remains in a buried freezer before spending weeks posing as him on Facebook to deceive his family has been sentenced to life in prison.
Bobby Andrew Weaver, 31, used his victim's social media account to convince family and friends that he was still alive after carrying out the brutal killing. Appearing at Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday (June 15), the Australian was handed a mandatory life sentence for the murder of David Thornton, 58.
The sentence comes after Weaver pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year. The men had known each other for much of their lives, having grown up on the same street in Goodna, a suburb on the eastern edge of the City of Ipswich in Queensland.
The Murder and Discovery
Mr Thornton was last seen alive on 25 January 2019 after he went to a solicitor's office carrying $15,000 (£7,900) in cash linked to a property settlement. The solicitor reportedly declined to accept the cash and Mr Thornton left with the money.
The former high school maths teacher was reported missing by a friend on March 12. Weeks later, police made a horrifying discovery at Mr Thornton's home when they uncovered a large freezer buried in the garden. Inside was his decomposing body. An autopsy later found the victim had been shot twice in the head with a .22 calibre firearm. He had also been dismembered, with both legs severed below the knees.
Deception After Death
Speaking during Monday's sentencing hearing, Justice Paul Smith described the killing as calculated. “This is a case where it can clearly be determined you murdered a friend in cold blood,” he said. “The man was in a vulnerable position.”
The judge added that Weaver's unusual actions after the murder deepened and prolonged the suffering of those closest to Mr Thornton. “There was a protracted and highly manipulative campaign to deceive family, friends and neighbours,” he said.
The court heard that after killing his friend, Weaver accessed Mr Thornton's Facebook account using his mobile phone and sent messages to relatives and friends claiming he was "off grid" and holidaying in Western Australia. For weeks, family members were led to believe Mr Thornton was still alive as Weaver allegedly used the account to cover up the murder and conceal his disappearance.
The deception only began to unravel when Mr Thornton's former wife entered the property and noticed blood stains inside the home. As police launched their investigation, Weaver falsely claimed he had recently been in contact with Mr Thornton. When discussing the freezer in the garden, he insisted that it contained spoiled food. He even helped officers dig up one freezer in an apparent attempt to support his story.
However, witnesses told police that two freezers had been buried on the property. When officers dug up a second freezer, they discovered Mr Thornton's remains along with the saw allegedly used to dismember his body.
Financial Motive
As detectives pieced together what had happened, they found several of Mr Thornton's personal belongings in Weaver's possession, including his bank cards, driver's licence, disability parking permit and thousands of dollars in cash. Weaver sold three of Mr Thornton's vehicles for around $2,700 (£1,400) and gave away one of his motorcycles. He also spent thousands of dollars on personal purchases while claiming the money came from an investment.
Among the most disturbing details revealed in court was Weaver's continued use of Mr Thornton's Facebook account after the killing. The court heard he used the account to contact Mr Thornton's former partner and ask her to check on Weaver because he was “struggling”. The woman then went to Weaver's home, and the pair later had sex.
Justice Smith said the treatment of Mr Thornton's body after death deepened the seriousness of the chilling crime. “The treatment of the body is disgraceful,” he said. “It was premeditated. He was shot in the head twice.” He added that the murder appeared to have been motivated by financial gain.
Impact on Family
In victim impact statements read to the court, Mr Thornton's family spoke of the devastating toll his death had taken on them. “There has been seven years of waiting,” Mr Thornton’s daughter wrote. “Seven years of nightmares… We didn’t just lose Dad when he was taken … we lost parts of ourselves.”
While Justice Smith acknowledged Weaver's guilty plea and limited criminal history, he said the killer's claimed remorse was hard to accept after years spent deceiving police, friends and family following the murder. Weaver was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the 2,631 days he has spent in custody since his arrest in April 2019 declared as time already served. He will be eligible to apply for parole in 2039.
