Teh One Who Knocks
08-13-2016, 10:40 AM
By Kara O'Neill - The Mirror
http://i.imgur.com/8vYGpAi.jpg
A man that raped and murdered a pregnant McDonald's employee as she walked to work has been jailed.
Andrew Michael Burke, 21, will spend at least 20 years behind bars after he was given a life sentence for the rape and murder of 27-year-old Joan Ryther.
The horrifying incident took place in Logan, Brisbane on May 21, 2013, when Burke was just 17.
Mrs Ryther was eight weeks pregnant when she was murdered, according to The Courier-Mail . She had made it just half a mile from her home.
http://i.imgur.com/MYYai5o.jpg
The jury at the Queensland Supreme Court, heard how Burke dragged his victim into a front yard and raped her with a screwdriver before kicking her in the head and strangling her.
He then left her to die 'face down in the grass'.
Burke later told police he was wearing the same clothes he had on in his interview on the night he killed Ms Ryther.
But CCTV footage from the night in question shows the killer wearing a different pair of shorts and jumper to what was tested for DNA evidence.
In court, forensic expert Jacqueline Wilson gave evidence that DNA found on Mrs Ryther's clothing was "100 billion times more likely" to belong to Burke than any other person.
Other samples showed a variety of likely DNA matches for a number of people, while some results returned suggested that the DNA had not been contributed by Burke.
It is believed that Burke had been in the area earlier in the day with a group who were intoxicated and had been allegedly trying to steal cars.
Mrs Ryther's husband, Cory, who she married in 2011, gave evidence and was present throughout the entire murder trial.
The chef was still at work at the time she had made her way to her shift.
When he later tried to drop his car off at McDonald's so she could drive home safely, he was concerned to discover that she had not turned up for work.
He then drove the route his wife usually walked in a bid to find her but said there was "no sign at all", according to News.com.au .
A resident in the area found Mrs Ryther's body in their front yard the following morning. She had visible injuries and was partially clothed.
Speaking in court ahead of Burke's sentencing, Mr Ryther said to the killer: "I have learnt how to hate. Thanks for teaching me that.
"We just wanted to live. Life for me now is empty and hollow. I feel like there's nothing left really to live for."
Burke was arrested 11 days after Mrs Ryther's body was found.
Justice Debra Mullins told Burke: "She was kicked, assaulted and there [were] signs that she was strangled."
"She died where she was left lying face down. It shows no compassion for your fellow citizens ... that you left Ms Ryther's body in the state that you did."
http://i.imgur.com/8vYGpAi.jpg
A man that raped and murdered a pregnant McDonald's employee as she walked to work has been jailed.
Andrew Michael Burke, 21, will spend at least 20 years behind bars after he was given a life sentence for the rape and murder of 27-year-old Joan Ryther.
The horrifying incident took place in Logan, Brisbane on May 21, 2013, when Burke was just 17.
Mrs Ryther was eight weeks pregnant when she was murdered, according to The Courier-Mail . She had made it just half a mile from her home.
http://i.imgur.com/MYYai5o.jpg
The jury at the Queensland Supreme Court, heard how Burke dragged his victim into a front yard and raped her with a screwdriver before kicking her in the head and strangling her.
He then left her to die 'face down in the grass'.
Burke later told police he was wearing the same clothes he had on in his interview on the night he killed Ms Ryther.
But CCTV footage from the night in question shows the killer wearing a different pair of shorts and jumper to what was tested for DNA evidence.
In court, forensic expert Jacqueline Wilson gave evidence that DNA found on Mrs Ryther's clothing was "100 billion times more likely" to belong to Burke than any other person.
Other samples showed a variety of likely DNA matches for a number of people, while some results returned suggested that the DNA had not been contributed by Burke.
It is believed that Burke had been in the area earlier in the day with a group who were intoxicated and had been allegedly trying to steal cars.
Mrs Ryther's husband, Cory, who she married in 2011, gave evidence and was present throughout the entire murder trial.
The chef was still at work at the time she had made her way to her shift.
When he later tried to drop his car off at McDonald's so she could drive home safely, he was concerned to discover that she had not turned up for work.
He then drove the route his wife usually walked in a bid to find her but said there was "no sign at all", according to News.com.au .
A resident in the area found Mrs Ryther's body in their front yard the following morning. She had visible injuries and was partially clothed.
Speaking in court ahead of Burke's sentencing, Mr Ryther said to the killer: "I have learnt how to hate. Thanks for teaching me that.
"We just wanted to live. Life for me now is empty and hollow. I feel like there's nothing left really to live for."
Burke was arrested 11 days after Mrs Ryther's body was found.
Justice Debra Mullins told Burke: "She was kicked, assaulted and there [were] signs that she was strangled."
"She died where she was left lying face down. It shows no compassion for your fellow citizens ... that you left Ms Ryther's body in the state that you did."