The grieving loved ones of Melbourne mother Simone Quinlan wore red – her favourite colour – the day her murderers were finally brought to justice.
The 33-year-old was bashed, shot, dumped in a mineshaft and set on fire in August 2015.
She was murdered as punishment for ‘snitching’ on her boyfriend who had hit her in the head with a baseball bat.
The grieving loved ones of Melbourne mother Simone Quinlan (pictured, left, right) wore red – her favourite colour – the day her murderers were finally brought to justice
The 33-year-old was bashed, shot, dumped in a mineshaft and set on fire in August 2015 (pictured are Ms Quinlan’s parents and supporters)
During a prolonged attack at his home in Melton, Brendan Neil tormented the woman by beating her and taping up her head, telling her she looked beautiful like that.
His mate Wayne Marmo sat in the kitchen, filing a .22 rifle during the assault.
It is unknown whether or not she was already dead when Neil and Marmo loaded Ms Quinlan into the back of Marmo’s ute.
Ms Quinlan (pictured, left, right) was murdered as punishment for ‘snitching’ on her boyfriend who had hit her in the head with a baseball bat
During a prolonged attack at his home in Melton, Brendan Neil tormented the woman by beating her and taping up her head, telling her she looked beautiful like that (pictured are supporters of Ms Quinlan)
Marmo drove Ms Quinlan to a mineshaft at Kangaroo Flat, stopping to shoot her in the head about five times on the way.
On Thursday in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Justice Jane Dixon sentenced Neil to 26 years’ imprisonment, and Marmo to 24 years behind bars.
Speaking outside court, Ms Quinlan’s mother Lynda said her daughter’s favourite time of year was Christmas, making December a difficult time.
The parents of murdered Melbourne mother Simone Quinlan, Lynda and Wayne, are seen outside the Supreme Court of Victoria
‘Knowing we’ll never see her again, I still can’t compute in my brain,’ she told reporters.
Mrs Quinlan held a big red pillow with the words ‘I love you to the moon and back’ stitched on it.
Neil, 31, will be eligible for parole in 22 years, while Marmo, 26, could be out of jail in 20 years.
Mrs Quinlan held a big red pillow with the words ‘I love you to the moon and back’ stitched on it (pictured are supporters of Ms Quinlan outside the court)