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The prisoner who killed the body-in-the-barrel killer causes a scene in court as he admits to fatally hitting the notorious criminal over the head: “Have a great day”
- Zlatko Sikorsky, 37, died days after being beaten in a fight
- He was in pretrial detention when he was beaten to death.
- Isaac James Martin has now admitted delivering the fatal blow
A prisoner who killed body-in-a-barrel killer Zlatko Sikorsky during a violent jailhouse attack has admitted hitting the notorious criminal over the head.
Sikorsky, 37, was remanded at the Wolston Correctional Center in Queensland awaiting trial for killing his teenage girlfriend Larissa Beilby when he was attacked by Isaac James Martin in November 2020.
Martin is alleged to have struck his fellow inmate over the head, causing fatal injuries, and Sikorsky died in hospital days later.
In Brisbane High Court on Friday, Martin pleaded guilty to a single count of unlawful beating causing death.
Martin, who represented himself at the arraignment, pulled a bizarre joke on Supreme Court Justice Peter Callaghan when his case was adjourned for sentencing.
‘Just out of curiosity, how many episodes of Judge Judy do you think you could put on cable TV here? Just so I can prepare myself,” Martin asked Judge Callaghan.
Zlatko Sikorsky, 37, was remanded at the Wolston Correctional Center in Queensland awaiting trial for killing his teenage girlfriend Larissa Beilby.
At the time of his death, Sikorsky was in pretrial detention awaiting trial for torturing and murdering his girlfriend Larissa Beilby.
Audible laughter broke out in the courtroom as Martin said, “You have a great day mate, cheers.”
The court was told that Martin previously had legal representation, but withdrew after he refused to see a prison psychiatrist.
Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy said there would have been “some chance” that Martin’s matter would be referred to the mental health court if a report had been prepared.
He said there was no suggestion in the corona material that Martin was not criminally responsible for Sikorksy’s death.
“However, that (mental health) history may be relevant to the sentencing judge,” McCarthy said.
The court was told that Sikorsky’s death was captured on video.
Breaking off the proceedings, Martin told the court that he “did not intend” to kill Sikorsky.
“I thought they were attacking me,” he said.
Mrs Beilby’s decomposing body was found stuffed in a barrel attached to a ute that Sikorsky had dumped at Stapylton on the Gold Coast.
“I heard something earlier in the day, and it just wasn’t about me.”
Judge Callaghan recommended that he save his submissions until his sentencing, but Martin replied that he had a “good memory” and could “walk away” with a lesser sentence.
He went on to ramble on how an investigation into the incident should be conducted due to “a lot of things that haven’t been said.”
“And a lot of things that can be included in (the) indictments, and a lot of things that I can sit here and point to myself,” Martin said.
“Just with the knowledge that I know about that, what happened months before, before that, how I met Sikorsky, all of that could be investigated.”
Judge Callaghan ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared before Martin’s sentencing on April 6.
At the time of his death, Sikorsky was awaiting trial for torturing and murdering 16-year-old Beilby in June 2018.
It was alleged that he killed the young schoolgirl at a property in Buccan, south of Brisbane.
Mrs Beilby’s decomposing body was found stuffed in a barrel attached to a ute that Sikorsky had dumped at Stapylton on the Gold Coast.
He finally gave up after hiding in an Alexandra Hills drive for over a day.