In a significant ruling, two men have received life sentences for the murder of Donna Howe, a grandmother from Caboolture, in 2022. Clinton Oliver, aged 45, and Braydon Franklin, 35, were found guilty of killing Ms. Howe and subsequently disposing of her remains in the Beerburrum State Forest.
The court mandated that both men must serve a minimum of 21 years before they can apply for parole. Their actions were described by a Supreme Court judge in Brisbane as lacking any sense of humanity, as they committed the crime and treated Ms. Howe’s remains with utter disregard, discarding her body “like rubbish” and setting it ablaze.
During the trial, it was revealed that Ms. Howe’s charred skeletal remains were discovered in June 2022 by two individuals while off-roading in the Glass House Mountains. The grandmother, aged 57, had last been seen by her daughter on Mother’s Day, just a month prior to her murder, which occurred in her home that same night.
Tiana Dempster, Ms. Howe’s daughter, expressed her heartbreak in court, recalling her final moments with her mother. “I hugged my mum and told her I loved her for the very last time, without knowing it would be the last,” she shared, highlighting the profound loss her family feels, particularly on what should have been a celebration of motherhood.
During the proceedings, the jury heard how Oliver had moved into Ms. Howe’s home in Caboolture after starting a relationship with a woman living there, while Franklin, who was on parole at the time, was dating another resident of the house. Tensions escalated among the roommates, with suspicions arising over allegations that Ms. Howe was stealing their possessions.
Justice Martin Burns, presiding over the case, noted that the motive behind the murder was not entirely clear. He emphasized that there were likely deeper reasons for the brutal act than what was presented during the trial. On the night of May 8, 2022, it was revealed that Ms. Howe was attacked as she entered her living room. Franklin, under Oliver’s encouragement, used tape to bind her mouth, and it was Oliver who struck her, likely with a hammer, rendering her completely unsuspecting and vulnerable.
After the murder, the pair concealed her body in a rug and transported her outside to a vehicle, leaving her there overnight. The following day, they took her remains to a remote area in Sunshine Coast bushland, where they doused the body in gasoline and ignited it. Justice Burns condemned their behavior in the days following the crime as shameless, devoid of any remorse or regret.
Both men initially pleaded guilty to the charge of moving Ms. Howe’s body at the trial’s start and were convicted of murder by a jury shortly thereafter. During sentencing, Justice Burns classified their actions as among the most heinous within this category of crime. Consequently, both Oliver and Franklin received life sentences for the murder, along with an additional five years for interfering with a corpse, resulting in a total of 21 years without the possibility of parole.
With time served, Oliver will be eligible for parole in June 2043, while Franklin will be eligible in November 2044. Tiana Dempster remarked on the devastating impact of her mother’s murder, stating, “This is what the family will forever have to go through… the true life sentence.”
