WHEN Detective Senior Constable Graham Goodwin set foot on a crime scene in Duri almost three years ago, the thought of a contract killing in the rural setting was far from his mind.
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Speaking after the 38-year maximum sentence for hitman Kenneth Brooks was handed down in Newcastle yesterday, the officer in charge of the murder investigation said he was satisfied with the result of the court proceedings.
Brooks was one of five people arrested over the brutal murder of Duri grazier Jeffrey Ryan in 2009, including Mr Ryan’s estranged wife, Helen, her mother, Coralie Coulter, and her sister, Ganene.
Brooks’s girlfriend, Joeleen Farrell, was also arrested for hindering the investigation.
Detective Goodwin worked alongside Detective Senior Constable Les Wallace and a team of local investigators as part of Strike Force Chandler, set up to piece together the mystery that was Mr Ryan’s shooting death.
Brooks was the final offender to be sentenced as part of the investigation, which Detective Goodwin said was “lengthy and very involved”.
“I’m feeling excellent and the family are reasonably happy, as can be expected,” he told The Leader.
“I believe the sentences are appropriate for the offences committed.
“There were lots of lines of inquiry to investigate.
“We had to start at the top and narrow it down to this bunch of people.”
As the case began to unfold in the months after Mr Ryan’s death, Detective Goodwin said investigators always kept an open mind about what could be uncovered.
“I don’t think you’d ever think of that (a contract killing) straight at the start, but you go in there with an open mind and you don’t discount the possibilities,” he said.
“You don’t have tunnel vision when it comes to your suspects.
“The crime itself can be described as nearly one of the worst categories of crime I’ve ever investigated. It was a waste of human life and for no reason.
“They were cold, calculating and self-involved, and acted without compassion.”
While the court proceedings may be over, Detective Goodwin said any further information to come to police about the case would still be investigated.
Oxley Local Area Command crime manager Inspector Phil O’Reilly yesterday said he was pleased the final sentence was handed down.
“It’s a pleasing outcome. It’s a culmination of the significant amount of investigation by Oxley detectives, in particular detectives Goodwin and Wallace, and I commend their efforts,” Inspector O’Reilly said.
