Woodchipper murder: Gregory Lee Roser found guilty of Bruce Saunders’ death at Goomboorian

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Jury finds man GUILTY of gruesome murder of his buddy by beating him on the head with a metal rod and putting his body through a wood chipper

  • Queensland jury finds Gregory Lee Roser guilty of Bruce Saunders murder
  • Saunders, 54, was killed after becoming entangled in ‘love square’
  • He died after being fed into a wood chipper on a rural estate in November 2017
  • Co-defendant Sharon Graham has pleaded innocent and requested a separate trial
  • Peter Koenig pleaded guilty to complicity in murder earlier this year

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Five years after Bruce Saunders’ body was found in a wood chipper, Gregory Lee Roser has been found guilty of his murder.

All that remained of Mr Saunders were his legs sticking out of the shredder when emergency services arrived at a property north of Brisbane in November 2017.

Roser, 63, did not deny that Mr Saunders was murdered during his five-week trial at the Brisbane Supreme Court.

Roser said he helped “disgracefully” dispose of the body in the shredder and then lied about it, telling police it had been an industrial accident.

However, Roser accused another man – Peter Koenig – of killing Mr Saunders while they were felling trees on the Goomboorian property near Gympie.

The jury began deliberating on Tuesday afternoon and found Roser guilty in the presence of Mr Saunders’ family and friends on Friday morning.

A jury has found Gregory Lee Roser (pictured left) and co-defendant Sharon Graham) guilty of murder

A jury has found Gregory Lee Roser (pictured left) and co-defendant Sharon Graham) guilty of murder

Bruce Saunders, (pictured) died in November 2017 on a rural Queensland estate north of Brisbane.

Bruce Saunders, (pictured) died in November 2017 on a rural Queensland estate north of Brisbane.

Bruce Saunders, (pictured) died in November 2017 on a rural Queensland estate north of Brisbane.

The Crown alleged that Sharon Graham had asked her lovers Roser and Koenig to kill her ex-partner Saunders and make it look like an accident in an attempt to claim his $750,000 life insurance policy.

Roser said he refused despite pressure from Graham and Koenig to kill the ‘happy go lucky’ Mr Saunders.

However, Koenig claimed that Roser repeatedly knocked down Mr Saunders with a metal bar when they finished working on the property.

Koenig told the court he helped carry the body to the shredder because Roser had a bad back.

Koenig said he fed Mr Saunders into the machine, stretching his legs to make it look more like an accident.

“Just to leave some Bruce… for the police to see,” he said.

Emergency services were faced with a horrific scene when they arrived at the property (pictured) near Gympie north of Brisbane in November 2017

Emergency services were faced with a horrific scene when they arrived at the property (pictured) near Gympie north of Brisbane in November 2017

Emergency services were faced with a horrific scene when they arrived at the property (pictured) near Gympie north of Brisbane in November 2017

Saunders was killed after getting involved in a “love square,” the court heard.

Graham lived with Mr Saunders, albeit in separate bedrooms, and was in a relationship with Roser while also having “intimate relationships” with Koenig.

Saunders was still “in love” with Graham, the court heard, as he pronounced his will and life insurance policy in her favor.

Graham, 61, and Roser had pleaded innocent to murder before the former successfully filed for a separate trial.

Koenig pleaded guilty to complicity in murder earlier this year.

Bruce Saunders (pictured) was cutting trees on a Goomboorian site near Gympie when he was murdered

Bruce Saunders (pictured) was cutting trees on a Goomboorian site near Gympie when he was murdered

Bruce Saunders (pictured) was cutting trees on a Goomboorian site near Gympie when he was murdered