Brittney Jade Dwyer was 19 years old when she murdered her grandfather and now her mother has opened up about how the tragedy has affected her.
‘I think she deserves 20 years in jail. She did the crime. She admitted to it. She pleaded guilty,’ Tonya Dwyer told 7NEWS.
‘I have lost two people, I have lost my dad and I have lost my daughter, and I don’t know if I will ever understand the whole story.
Brittney Dwyer was 19 years old when she murdered her 81-year-old grandfather for money
Robert Whitwell was stabbed repeatedly in the head and chest by his granddaughter Brittney
Robert Whitwell, 81, was killed by his granddaughter after she learned that he had $100,000 hidden in his garden shed, because he didn’t trust banks.
In August 2016, Brittney visited him at his home in Craigmore, Adelaide, where he showed her photo albums from her childhood.
On her way out the door, she admitted to stabbing him in the head and chest repeatedly, and then washing the dishes as he died.
Tonya has described the situation as a ‘nightmare’ and berates herself constantly for ‘missing the signs’ that her beloved daughter could commit such an evil crime.
‘It was a person that I trusted, that I brought into the world, that I raised to be a good person,’ said Tonya, who has had a nightmare of a year that she says will never finish.
Since her father died and her daughter went to prison, Robert’s wife passed away in a nursing home and she has separated from her husband.
Brittney is currently awaiting sentencing in Adelaide Women’s Prison, and hasn’t spoken to her mother in than a year.
Brittany (right) is currently in jail awaiting sentencing for killing her grandfather Robert (left)
Bernadette Burns (left) drove Brittney (right) and herself to Adelaide to commit the murder
Also charged in relation to the vicious murder was Brittney’s roommate Bernadette Burns, who drove her to Adelaide and waited in the car while she was inside.
The pair never found Robert’s savings, but did steal $1000 and two digital cameras before Bernadette drove the 2000km back to Brisbane. Both women will be sentenced on November 7.
Tonya believes that her daughter deserves the maximum sentence for the crime which she says tore their family apart, but Brittany’s father merely asked the court to impose an appropriate prison sentence on his daughter the ABC reported.
Tonya Dwyer thinks her daughter Brittney deserves 20 years in jail for killing her grandfather
Bernadette (right) and Brittney (left) stole $1000 and two digital cameras from the house
Brittany’s roommate Bernadette Burns drove her to her grandpa’s Adelaide home (pictured)
Brittney has been described as ‘cruel and deceitful’ in South Australia’s Supreme Court, after she feigned innocence following her grandfather’s death.
However, Burns was not even in the house at the time of the killing and did not have any ‘murderous intent’, her lawyer said.
She has pleaded guilty to the seldom-used charge of felony murder, referring to a killing that occurs during the commission of another offence, in this case, the theft at Mr Whitwell’s home.
Mr Whitwell’s brother Geoffrey said the killing was tragic and senseless.
He said it was a ‘callous and horrific act’ and he singled out Burns as a ‘cruel, evil and dangerous person with no regard for human life’.
Burns, who met Brittany on Facebook faces deportation once released from jail because she was born in New Zealand and is not an Australian citizen.
Bernadette Burns has been described as ‘cruel, evil and dangerous’ by Mr Whitwell’s brother
Tonya believes her daughter deserves the maximum sentence for the crime she committed