‘Horrendous’: Cassius Turvey’s brutal killers who grotesquely bragged about violence handed long jail terms

“Monsters.” As the killers of her teenage son were sent to jail, Mechelle Turvey could only think of one word to describe them. Jack Brearley, 24, and Brodie Palmer, 30, were jailed for life on Friday for murdering 15-year-old Cassius Turvey in 2022. Mitchell Forth was jailed for 12 years for manslaughter while Brearley’s ex-girlfriend Aleesha Gilmore was handed a suspended sentence for her role in separate crimes terrorising neighbourhood teens four days earlier. “You’re all monsters,” Mrs Turvey shouted as they were led away from the dock. “Did you learn your lesson now, Jack?” she added, referring to Brearley’s gloating in the hours after the attack. Chief Justice Peter Quinlan expressed disgust that Brearley had gleefully laughed on the phone that night about how he had struck Cassius “so hard, he’s learnt his lesson.” In that conversation, he also referred to smashing a 13-year-old boy in the face with the pole moments before chasing down Cassius. Brearley callously bragged: “I bashed a c… on crutches and in the bush.” The shocking crime, on strip of scrub near an oval, came as the vigilantes hunted for whoever broke Brearley’s car windows and was the culmination of days of rolling mayhem among neighbourhood youths. Cassius was among local teens who had gathered to watch a fight and fled as they saw the armed adults run after them. “It was about revenge and terrorising a group of kids for its own sake,” Chief Justice Quinlan said. “Cassius was the person you happened to catch.” The teen fell to the ground after the first blow and his horrific injuries — including a split ear — showed Brearley hit him forcefully to the head a second time. Brearley then continued to strike as the boy cried out for him to stop, in a “sustained and brutal” attack that was witnessed by children as young as 13. He didn’t intend to kill Cassius but “in a fit of uncontrolled rage … you didn’t care.” The judge was also appalled by a video that Brearley, Palmer and Forth, 27, recorded hours later, raising their hands like gangsters and Forth remarking “we got ‘em all.” “The celebration which all three of you engaged in was a grotesque display of your complete disregard of the lives of the children you had attacked,” Chief Justice Quinlan said. “It would be very easy for me to say you are monsters. “The awful truth is you are human beings with your own life history who have committed horrendous crimes.” Mrs Turvey wept with relief when she heard Brearley must serve 22 years and Palmer 18 years before they will be eligible for parole. But outside court, she continued to vent her understandable anger. “I wish I was a bit younger and had better knees so I could jump that f...ing dock,” Mrs Turvey said. She revealed Brearley had flagged an appeal and rejected any suggestion of remorse - after maintaining not guilty pleas at a three-month trial - as “a load of bulls...” Chief Justice Quinlan said Brearley had “revelled” in cutting short Cassius’ life of great promise. “You have no remorse whatsoever,” he said. They had all told many lies, the “most despicable” being Brearley’s failed attempt to frame a completely innocent man for the murder, the judge said. Brearley also lied that two cuts to the back of his leg had been inflicted by Cassius with a knife during a scuffle, which was “an outrageous slur.” The judge said Palmer was also in complete denial, as were his parents, who wrote a letter to the court saying as much. Mrs Turvey was also furious that Gilmore, 23, was acquitted of any involvement in the murder, saying she had “started it”, in what the judge described as a misguided attempt to defend her younger brother from the local chaos. “She can burn in hell,” the grieving mum said. “They’re all freaking monsters.” He stressed she would have to complete programs, particularly targeting her substance abuse, which was a recurrent theme in the group’s personal backgrounds. Ethan Robert MacKenzie, 21, was also sentenced for the other crimes but with time already served will be eligible for parole on November 25. A member of the public gallery menacingly said: “Five months”. Another remarked: “I’ll be catching you buddy. Don’t you worry about that.” The judge said the crimes were not racially-motivated but racial slurs were used, particularly by Brearley, including “the n word” and “black c….”. Combined with the murder, that created a legitimate fear among local Aboriginal youths that “rippled through the whole community” - even one where “casual” violence was “normalised”. Mrs Turvey warmly hugged prosecutor Ben Stanwix and homicide detective Steve Cleal outside court, thanking Police Commissioner Col Blanch for strongly resourcing the investigation. She said she didn’t feel closure. Rather, the sentencing had been “a stepping stone”. “Grief and healing, it goes on for our life. “We lose people in our lives, but losing someone to senseless violence - an innocent child - you can’t put words on it. “I don’t know how to go forward, but I’ll go forward. “They are not going to bring me down.”