Darwin gunman Benjamin Hoffmann jailed for life over shooting spree killing four
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A ‘cowardly’ gunman who killed three people and killed another in a drug-driven shooting in Darwin will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.
Benjamin Glenn Hoffmann pleaded guilty mid-trial to the intentional killing of Hassan Baydoun, 33, Michael Sisois, 57, and Rob Courtney, 52, and the manslaughter of 75-year-old Nigel Hellings, on June 4, 2019.
The 48-year-old was sentenced Thursday in the Northern Territory Supreme Court to three life sentences for the murders and 15 years for manslaughter, with Judge John Burns refusing to grant a parole.
CCTV captured a shirtless Benjamin Glenn Hofmann, covered in blood and carrying a shotgun on the day he killed four men
“You deliberately went looking for those you thought had wronged you with the intent to kill them. It turns out you killed four innocent people,” Judge Burns said.
“These were men who had family and friends. People whose lives have been changed forever by your cowardly, self-centered behavior… Your behavior was brutal in committing these offenses openly and in front of witnesses.”
The father of two was high on methamphetamine when he shot the four men while hunting for a man named Alex Deligiannis, who he believed had stolen his girlfriend, Kelly Collins.
He shot Mr Baydoun four times from less than three feet away with a double-barreled shotgun at the Palms Motel in central Darwin.
Mr Hellings was shot through the front door of his apartment building about half a mile away.
Hassan Baydoun (right), 33, was the first person to be killed. Michael Sisois, 57, (left) was also shot dead
Hoffmann’s next victim was his buddy, Mr. Sisois, whom he shot in the head in the parking lot at the nearby Buff Club bar and restaurant.
Mr Courtney was murdered at the Darwin Recycling yard about 2.5 km away.
He was found with 69 injuries, including 36 stab and cuts, multiple blunt wounds and a gunshot wound.
One of his other victims was Damita Jerome, who shot Hoffmann in the leg after killing Mr. Baydoun while walking through the Palms Motel in search of Mr. Deligiannis, who had previously lived there.
Outside the court, Ms Jerome said she had not recovered from the incident but was “grateful” for the punishment Hoffmann had received.
“I’ve waited so long and it’s finally resolved. I’m just glad justice has finally been done,” she said.
Timeline of Darwin shooting that killed four and seriously injured a woman
Hoffmann, who had a long history of drug abuse and criminal activity, was also convicted of six other charges, including three counts of reckless death, drug possession and one of threatening to kill.
His lawyer Patricia Petersen said he was “visibly upset” and in shock at the verdict when she spoke to him after the hearing and was likely to appeal.
Hoffmann and Ms. Collins met in early 2019 at a rehab center, where they made plans to move in together.
Benjamin Glenn Hofmann, 47, reportedly killed four people and injured a woman in a shooting over Darwin on June 4, 2019. He is pictured being interviewed by psychiatrist Dr. Rob Parker while under police guard at the Royal Darwin Hospital
But two weeks before the shooting, Ms Collins sent Hoffmann a text saying she was in love with her pimp, Mr Deligiannis, and had returned to prostitution.
“It got out of hand,” he told the court earlier.
On the day of the murders, Hoffmann, who suffers from a personality disorder with antisocial and narcissistic traits, said he believed Mrs. Collins was in danger and that a group of men had drugged and raped her.
“I had full visions of Kelly being held as a hostage against her will,” he said.
“I tried to save her.”
Hoffman, seen here in the midst of a deadly frenzy, was visibly upset by the sentence imposed on him, his attorney said
Hoffmann’s mental state when he committed the crime was a key issue during the trial and during the sentencing of multiple psychiatric experts who were called to provide reports and opinions.
Justice Burns said on balance that he was unhappy Hoffmann was suffering from a chronic psychotic illness or that he was suffering from drug psychosis on June 4.
“Even if I was sure you were suffering from methamphetamine psychosis, that fact could not lessen the moral guilt of these crimes,” he said.
“You knew before June 3, 2019 that you were prone to violent acts and offenses involving the use of weapons if you used methamphetamine. You knew that when you resumed taking that drug after you left (rehabilitation).’