A court heard testimony that one of the women who is suspected of killing a police officer in a vehicle crash remarked, “We ride together, and we die together.” As a result, the magistrate has ordered the two women to stand trial for murder.
On Thursday, the committal hearing for the murder charges against Skye Anne Wallis and Kari O’Brien was held at Brisbane Magistrates Court. The victim was Senior Constable David Masters.
On the Bruce Highway in Burpengary, north of Brisbane, at around 3 am on June 26, 2021, a 53-year-old officer was killed when a car that was believed to be stolen collided with him as he was deploying a tire deflation device.
Thursday, Wallis and O’Brien were both ordered by Magistrate Peter Saggers to appear in the Brisbane Supreme Court on a single charge of murder, one crime of arson, and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Following nearly two hours of legal discussions, O’Brien was also committed to face trial, which shocked members of Sen. Const—masters’ family who were in the courtroom. According to the Crown, O’Brien was a passenger in the car that killed Sen. Const. Masters and 36-year-old Wallis was the driver.
The prosecution claims that Wallis was careless with human life or drove the vehicle recklessly towards the police officer, making her guilty of the killing.
Due to her alleged assistance or encouragement of Wallis’s allegedly risky driving that was likely to endanger life and for the unlawful aim of avoiding police, O’Brien might be found guilty of felony murder by a jury, according to Prosecutor Dejana Kovac.
According to Ms. Kovac, O’Brien reportedly instructed Wallis not to stop when the police caught sight of them, and she also allegedly helped set fire to the vehicle that was involved in the deadly crash before changing into other clothing.
According to Ms. Kovac, “We ride together, and we die together” is a crucial statement made by Ms. O’Brien when she informs Ms. Wallis that they are engaged in this jointly.
O’Brien chose not to respond to the accusations or register a plea while in court.
There was insufficient evidence to commit O’Brien, a 27-year-old woman, to stand trial for murder, according to her attorney, Christopher Wilson, who submitted that his client had no case to answer.
According to Mr. Wilson, the only thing linking her to the incident is that she was in a vehicle.
According to Mr. Wilson, O’Brien had used the word “we.” That is the germane word.
The defendants will not stand trial until the Director of Public Prosecutions announces the date.
