Meth delusions led to brutal murder?
A former WAFL footballer in the grip of an acute psychosis after a two-week methamphetamine binge stabbed to death a stranger on his morning walk at a dog beach.
Daniel Luke Zwerus was jailed for life yesterday with a minimum of 18 years for the delusional, unprovoked and savage murder of Ilario Maiolo on May 13, 2013.
In the Supreme Court yesterday, Justice Stephen Hall acknowledged the devastation Mr Maiolo's brutal death caused his loving family.
He said Zwerus had a severe psychosis at the time of the attack but had willingly taken the drugs, though he was aware of the adverse effects on him and this could not be considered a mitigating circumstance.
Outside court, Det-Sgt Cameron Blaine spoke on behalf of Mr Maiolo's family, who he said were shattered.
"It certainly sent a shock wave through the Mandurah community and the broader community," he said.
Zwerus, 33, a father of two who played for Peel Thunder in 2001, pleaded guilty to the murder last Friday, three days before a scheduled Supreme Court trial.
Prosecutor Laura Christian told the court Mr Maiolo, a father of two known to his family and friends as Larry, was taking his usual morning walk at the Halls Head dog beach when Zwerus stabbed him 18 times in the brutal, sustained attack.
Zwerus then callously dragged the 46-year-old's body into the ocean and left the beach, stopping at strangers' houses to take property, including a fresh shirt from a clothes line, and discarding Mr Maiolo's wallet and bloodstained items on the way.
Ms Christian said Mr Maiolo, whose body was pulled from the water that morning while his wife and son were at the beach, had stab wounds to his head, neck, back and shoulders.
She said Zwerus, who had a history of binge drug use and violent offending, had used methamphetamine and cannabis daily for two weeks before the attack. He had been assessed as being psychotic due to methamphetamine intoxication.
Ms Christian said general deterrence was important and people needed to be sent the message that it was not acceptable to go on drug binges that made them no longer able to act rationally.
Defence lawyer Tony Elliott said genuine issues relating to whether Zwerus was insane and his mental capacity had been relevant in the lead-up to his scheduled trial. He said that less than a week before the killing, Zwerus tried to be admitted to rehabilitation.
He said Zwerus was delusional and had auditory command hallucinations before the attack. He believed he was possessed by the devil and that a task to rid the world of a certain type of person had fallen to him.
