A manipulative father made chilling phone calls from prison – months later, he and baby Kobi Shepherdson were dead, court hears

Chilling phone calls from a jailed father before he killed himself and nine-month-old girl Kobi Shepherdson have appeared in court.

South Australian Deputy Coroner Ian White on Tuesday opened an inquest into the deaths of baby Kobi Anastasia and Henry David Shepherdson, 38, at the Whispering Wall of the Barossa Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide, on April 21, 2021.

Shepherdson was jailed for threatening to kill Kobi and the baby’s mother, Jenna Hutchins, when he made 149 phone calls to Hutchins, all in breach of an intervention order, the inquest heard on Thursday.

Audio of the conversations was also played in court.

The calls were intended to intimidate Hutchins into dropping domestic violence charges against him, the court was told.

Shepherdson said he couldn’t be the father he wanted to be while facing charges, and if the case went to trial, he would make her look like a liar.

He also told Hutchins to keep the conversations secret, to which she agreed. None of the calls were known to the police, the public prosecutor or the court.

Earlier this week the inquest heard that Shepherdson had a history of violence, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol abuse and mental health problems.

Henry Shepherdson threw him and his daughter off the Whispering Wall at Barossa Reservoir in April 2021 (pictured)

He met Defense Force member Jenna Hutchins on a dating app in late 2019, and she became pregnant within a month.

After the couple moved in together, Shepherdson began verbally abusing her.

It worsened and Shepherdson was arrested in December 2020 and charged with false imprisonment and threatening to kill.

He was taken into custody and an intervention order banned any contact with Hutchins and their daughter Kobi.

In January 2021, Hutchins began receiving calls from Shepherdson in prison.

“Mr Shepherdson called and spoke to Ms Hutchins 149 times,” said counsel assisting Martin Kirby.

‘Once Your Honor hears these calls, you will be asked to classify them as highly manipulative behavior by Mr Shepherdson towards her, and ultimately that he was successful in his strategy to contact her illegally and get her to do what he wanted ,” Mr. Kirby said. said.

In February 2021, Hutchins signed a form to drop the charges.

Kobi’s manipulative father had gained access to the baby hours before they both died in a murder-suicide that shocked Australia, a court heard.

Shepherdson was released from prison and in March 2021, police found him hiding in Hutchins’ bathroom.

He was taken back into custody and a week later he pleaded guilty to two breaches of the intervention order.

Shepherdson was sentenced to six days in jail.

Hutchins told police she wanted the intervention order to stand. But weeks later she signed another form to change the terms so that contact could be made.

On April 21, 2021, Shepherdson appeared before the Adelaide Magistrates Court with his lawyer seeking a variation of the intervention order.

The prosecutor carried out checks on police systems and agreed to remove the no-contact conditions.

On the same day, Shepherdson arranged an appointment to spend time with Kobi.

That afternoon he traveled to the 110-foot Whispering Wall, climbed over the railing with Kobi in a stroller strapped to his chest, and jumped.

‘From Ms Hutchins’ initial report in October 2020, both the South African Police Service and the Department of Correctional Services were aware of and had access to data demonstrating Mr Shepherdson’s history, his history of violence, the breaching court orders and his poor mental health,” Mr Kirby said. said.

‘I would like to emphasize that Mrs Hutchins was a caring and diligent mother who suffered intense mental and sometimes physical abuse at the hands of Mr Shepherdson.’

The inquest would try to answer many questions, including how Shepherdson accessed opioids from his GP, Mr Kirby said.

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