Three men have received life sentences for a second time over the horrific 2016 murders of Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru, whose bodies were found locked in a metal toolbox and submerged in a Logan dam.
Trent Thrupp, Stou Daniels, and Davy Taiao were convicted last week in the Brisbane Supreme Court following a retrial. The trio had previously been found guilty of murder and torture in 2021, but a retrial was ordered by the Court of Appeal in 2023.
The court heard that Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were restrained with duct tape and cable ties, then beaten, stabbed, and choked before being forced into a two-metre-long metal toolbox. While they remained trapped, some of the attackers reportedly drank whiskey and played video games nearby.
The violent assault was allegedly linked to a drug-related dispute.
Cleaning rags and bleach used to clean up blood were placed in the toolbox with the victims before it was loaded into a HiLux ute. Loud music was allegedly played to mask the sounds of the victims’ distress.
Thrupp either dumped the toolbox into Scrubby Creek or was present when it was submerged. Daniels and Taiao were also found to have played key roles in restraining the victims and causing their deaths.
Police later discovered the toolbox underwater, containing the decomposed bodies of the two victims. Forensic evidence suggested they were still alive at the time it was submerged.
A total of eight people were charged over the killings. Several were convicted of manslaughter, and Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata, who drove the ute, was also sentenced to life in prison. His appeal was rejected in 2024.
On Thursday, Justice Glenn Martin handed down mandatory life sentences to Thrupp, Daniels, and Taiao. Under Queensland law, because two murders were involved, the men must serve at least 30 years before becoming eligible for parole. Time already served was formally acknowledged.
