Global InformationWettenhall family murders information
| Wettenhall family murders | |
|---|---|
 Darcy, Guy and Janet Wettenhall | |
| Location | Ceres, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 38°09′33″S 144°15′51″E / 38.1591°S 144.2641°E |
| Date | 18 March 1992 |
| Target | Members of the Wettenhall family |
Attack type | Murder-suicide |
| Weapons | 12-gauge shotgun |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Victims | Darcy Wettenhall, 50 Guy Wettenhall, 23 Janet Wettenhall, 81 |
| Perpetrators | Wayne Garry Walton |
The Wettenhall family murders was the 1992 triple shooting murder of three members of the Wettenhall family, Darcy Wettenhall, 50, his son Guy Wettenhall, 23 and Janet Wettenhall, 81, at Ceres, Victoria on March 18, 1992.
The accused, Wayne Garry Walton, was a 23 year old troubled man with convictions for theft [1] who worked as a farm hand and labourer at the Wettenhall family's stud farm, after meeting Darcy Wettenhall at the Gill Memorial Home for Men, a homeless shelter located in Melbourne.[2]
Walton, who became involved in a sexual relationship with Darcy Wettenhall prior to the murders, was apprehended by police the following day while driving a stolen car and in possession of items taken from the Wettenhall family's farm. He was charged with three counts of murder.[3]
Walton suicided by hanging using a television cable inside a management and supervision section of Pentridge Prison's B Division on February 22, 1993, while awaiting trial for the murders.[4]
The murders brought an end to the Wettenhall family's stud farm operations and the Stanbury property was sold by auction in December 1992, purchased by former Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria president, Stephen Spargo, and his wife Jill.[5]
A non-fiction book based on the murders, Devils Grip, A True Story of Shame, Sheep and Shotguns, was written by Neall Drinan with Bob Perry and published in 2019.[2]
- ^ Webb, Carolyn (5 January 2020). "'You either sink or swim': How one woman rose above tragedy". The Age. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ a b Webb, Carolyn (30 August 2019). "New book explores gay shame and a triple murder in rural Victoria". The Age. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "3 murders: man charged". Canberra Times. 21 March 1992. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Man hangs in high-supervision cell". Canberra Times. 23 February 1993. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Colin (24 June 2015). "Historic home and land near Geelong makes perfect rural retreat". The Weekly Times. Retrieved 15 August 2021.