A 75-year-old grandfather who shot his terminally ill daughter’s husband amid a dispute over her $1.8million life insurance payout has been jailed for seven years.
William Terence Murrell shot ten rounds at 49-year-old Mirko Uskovic at Wahroonga on Sydney‘s upper north shore in what he claimed was an attempt to ‘scare the hell out’ his son-in-law.
The then 73-year-old believed Uskovic had been taking tens of thousands of dollars from his daughter Danielle after she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Murrell had donned a face mask, high-visibility vest, sunglasses and gloves before he took a cut-down Ruger .22 rifle fitted with a silencer and laser sight to ambush Uskovic at his home.
Grandfather Bill Murrell donned a hood and mask before he fired ten shots at his son-in-law Mirko Uskovic in a daylight ambush at his home on Sydney’s upper north shore. Murrell is pictured with wife Donna and their four granddaughters
Bill Murrell’s first shot hit Mirk Uskovic in the neck (above) but nine more rounds missed his daughter’s husband. Murrell told police he believed Uskovic had been taking money from his wife’s account after she was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and awarded $1.8million
The first bullet hit his target in the neck and although Uskovic sustained no lasting physical injuries he still suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, flashbacks and nightmares.
Murrell has already paid Uskovic a $255,000 settlement after he pursued civil action in the District Court.
Danielle Uskovic was diagnosed with early onset motor neurone disease in June 2019
The retired train driver had originally charged with shooting with intent to murder but pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He also admitted possessing a prohibited drug and a range of weapons offences including possessing an unauthorised pistol and prohibited firearm.
Murrell appeared for sentencing at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Friday via audio-visual link from Long Bay jail, wearing prison greens and a Covid face mask.
Judge Antony Townsden described Murrell’s offending as ‘considered and calculated’ and said it had involved a degree of planning rather than being spontaneous.
He said Murrell still attributed his crimes to the behaviour of his son-in-law who had sought a divorce after his wife’s terminal diagnosis.
Murrell, who had no previous criminal record, had shown some remorse but most of that was directed at the impact of his actions on his family, who he said had been ‘going through hell’.
Wahroonga, one of Sydney’s most prestigious suburbs, is on the city’s upper north shore. Danielle and Mirko Uskovic lived at 25 Highlands Avenue with their four daughters
Murrell fitted a laser sight and silencer to this shortened semi-automatic Ruger .22 rifle which he concealed in a blue blanket. He used the weapon in a daylight ambush on his son-in-law
His 47-year-old daughter Danielle’s condition was deteriorating rapidly and she was not expected to live more than 24 months.
Murrell also had a 53-year-old son with autism and was the fulltime carer for his 93-year-old mother-in-law before he went to jail.
At the time of the shooting Murrell had been under extreme stress and was ‘horrified’ by what he called his ‘silly behaviour’ in shooting his son-in-law.
Judge Townsden imposed a sentence of seven years and six months with a minimum term of four years and six months. He will be eligible for parole on Mary 11, 2025.
Danielle, a mother of four daughters who worked in marketing, was diagnosed with rapid onset motor neurone disease in June 2019.
Mirko Uskovic had been loading belongings in his Kia Carnival (above, with boot open) when his father-in-law opened fire. Police have placed markers where they located spent cartridges
After receiving a $1.8million life insurance payout as a result of the disease she was having increasing problems with her husband of 22 years.
The court heard Uskovic had forbidden his parents-in-law from entering his home between 2007 and 2019 and refused to look after his wife after her diagnosis.
In an affidavit tendered in court Danielle said in the lead up to the ‘horribly tragic’ events her husband had been rude and hostile and was taking money from her.
On September 19, 2020, police were called to attend an incident at the marital home in Highlands Avenue, Wahroonga.
Later than month Danielle left Highlands Avenue with the couple’s youngest child and moved in with her parents at Beecroft.
Bill Murrell’s wife Donna is pictured with a friend outside Hornsby Local Court after one of her husband unsuccessfully applied for bail. He has pleaded guilty to shooting with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and will be sentenced in August
Murrell told detectives Uskovic had ‘virtually kicked [Danielle] out’ out her house, according to an agreed statement of facts tendered in court.
The same document states Uskovic had been ‘siphoning’ money out of Danielle’s account since he learnt she was unwell – taking $10,000 to $20,000 at at time for a total of $100,000.
Danielle paid her husband $350,000 to vacate the Highlands Avenue property and he was supposed to be out by 4pm on November 12, the 18th birthday of the couple’s oldest child.
The day before that deadline Murrell drove to Highlands Avenue and walked into the front yard wearing a high-visibility vest and black face covering.
When Uskovic opened the door about 2pm he did not recognise his father-in-law – who was carrying something in front of him – as the man who turned and left the property.
Mirko Uskovic used a window-cleaning pole visible in the bottom left of this picture to fight off his father-in-law while he shot at him. Numbered markers show where bullet casings were found
Stickers show where four of Murrell’s bullets lodged in the car port of his daughter and son-in-law’s Wahroonga home. Murrell told police he was only trying to scare Mirko Uskovic
The next day Murrell returned to Highlands Avenue about 9.30am and parked his Holden Captiva five doors down from his daughter and son-in-law’s place.
He was wearing a high-visibility vest over a black hooded jumper, sunglasses, black gloves and a face mask.
Uskovic had been ferrying belongings from the house to his black Kia Carnival which was parked in the carport next to a white Ford Focus.
About 10am, Murrell walked down the driveway, through the carport and towards the backyard with the Ruger concealed under a blue blanket and a seven-shot .22 Harrington & Richardson revolver in his pocket.
Murrell went to confront his son-in-law with this a seven-shot .22 Harrington & Richardson revolver in his pocket. The weapon fell out onto the ground during the pair’s struggle
As Uskovic walked out the front door and made his way to the Kia, Murrell swung around, raised the Ruger and opened fire from 3 to 4m away on his son-in-law.
When the first shot hit Uskovic on the right side of the neck he yelled out, ‘Somebody help me!’ Murrell tried to get closer by walking around the vehicle between them but Uskovic circled the car as he sought cover.
As Murrell kept firing shots – which all missed – Uskovic picked up a long metal window-cleaning pole on the floor of the carport to defend himself.
Neighbour Scott Kirby heard Uskovic’s yelling and arrived on the scene to find the pair standing on opposite sides of the Ford Focus. Murrell was moving around the car towards Uskovic, who shouted out: ‘Call the police, he’s got a gun’.
Police carry a brown paper evidence evidence bag containing the Ruger rifle after the shooting in Highlands Avenue, Wahroonga, on November 12, 2020
As Kirby left to call police Murrell fired five or six more bullets which missed Uskiovic. When he lowered the weapon Uskovic struck him in the face with the pole, knocking him to the ground and forcing him to drop the rifle.
Uskovic then ran to his attacker and began punching and kicking him in an effort to keep him on the ground. The revolver fell from Murrell’s pocket and when his face mask came off Uskovic finally recognised his father-in-law.
Each time Murrell attempted to regain his feet Uskovic kicked him in the face and said, ‘Stay down’. Uskovic kept calling for help and grabbed the revolver from Murrell who sustained fractures to his right eye socket, right collar bone and nose.
Police arrived and Uskovic dropped the revolver when told to. Murrell was arrested and asked what happened by a detective senior constable.
‘My daughter has a problem with him,’ Murrell said. ‘They’ve separated and I was asked to come in, he’s moving out at 10, uh, 4 o’clock this evening… ‘
Murrell claimed it was Uskovic who had attacked him. ‘When I was getting the best of him he started screaming, and I’m nearly 75, he got the best of me,’ he said. The house is pictured
Murrell said he bought the Ruger rifle between 18 months and two years before he ambushed his son-in-law. The rifle is pictured inside a blue blanket at the scene next to a revolver
Murrell then claimed it was Uskovic who had attacked him. ‘When I was getting the best of him he started screaming, and I’m nearly 75, he got the best of me,’ he said.
Detective: ‘So he did this to you, is that what you just said?’
Murrell: ‘Oh yep.’
Detective: ‘And what have you done to him?’
Murrell: ‘Nothing. There’s isn’t even a mark on him.’
Forensic officers found ten spent bullet casings at the scene after Uskovic and Murrell were both taken to Royal North Shore Hospital. Four bullet holes were located in the brick wall of the car port.
Murrell had two bullet cases in his pocket and a single .22 cartridge was found in his Captiva, as well as 13.1 grams of cannabis in a resealable bag.
A search of his Beecroft home uncovered a .22 lever-action Winchester rifle, several boxes of ammunition and two silencers, one of which was inoperable.
Murrell had not held a firearm licence for years. He had bought the Ruger at least 18 months earlier and the Winchester belonged to a mate.
Detectives began interviewing Murrell in his hospital bed about 4pm.
Murrell told police he had gone to Highlands Avenue to ‘see that everything was OK’, to ensure Uskovic did not take anything from the house that was not his, to ‘scare’ him, and to tell him to ‘back off’.
This Winchester Model 9422 XTR .22 lever-action rifle was found at Bill Murrell’s Beecroft home. He told police the rifle belonged to a friend and he was considering buying it
It was then he claimed Uskovic had kicked his daughter out of her own home and had been taking money from her account. He said he had been ‘pretty irate’.
Murrell told police he had gone to Highlands Avenue to ‘see that everything was OK’, to ensure Uskovic did not take anything from the house that was not his, to ‘scare’ him, and to tell him to ‘back off’.
He had loaded the Ruger’s ten-shot magazine before he left home and attached the laser sight because his eyesight was poor but it was not properly aligned. He denied he had attempted to disguise himself.
‘The offender went to confront the victim but when the victim saw him the victim started chasing the offender and attacking him with a long metal pole,’ the statement of facts said.
‘The offender had been holding the rifle in his arms, pointing down towards the ground, but when he was attacked by the victim he pointed the rifle at the victim and fired half a dozen times in response.
‘He thinks he missed, he does not recall seeing the laser pointer dot on the victim and he did not have a clue where the bullets he fired went.’
Murrell said he did not know what harm he might cause but denied one of his bullets could have killed Uskovic. ‘I thought it just going off would have scared him and I would have taken off’
Murrell later claimed the rifle had initially discharged when Uskovic threw a pillow at him and his finger had jerked on the trigger.
‘It was only after this that the victim got the steel pole and started attacking the offender, which led to the offender firing off half a dozen shots at him,’ the statement of facts said.
Murrell had then fired four to five more rounds to ‘scare the hell out of him’ and admitted, ‘Look, more than likely the first one might have struck [Uskovic] I don’t know to quite honest.’
‘He wanted to scare the victim because he was “relentless with my daughter” and he wanted to stop the victim from trying to get more money off her,’ the statement of facts said.
‘He admitted that he didn’t say anything to that effect to the victim, but that was his intention in shooting at him.’
Murrell said he did not know what harm he might cause but denied one of his bullets could have killed Uskovic. ‘I thought it just going off would have scared him and I would have taken off.’
When asked whether he had pursued Mirko while he was firing at him, Murrell said, ‘Ah, no not really’. He had not been trying to improve his position to make clearer shots
When asked whether he had pursued Uskovic while he was firing at him, Murrell said, ‘Ah, no not really’. He had not been trying to improve his position to make clearer shots.
‘If I stayed in one place I’d be, you know, at the close range I could have really hurt him,’ he said. ‘I mean, I could have really hurt him if I wanted to.’
He had gone to Highlands Avenue the day before the shooting to check if anything had been taken out of the house without his daughter’s knowledge. That afternoon he had only been carrying a bag of tools, not a firearm.
On that occasion, Murrell had seen Uskovic was growing cannabis, which made him ‘pretty angry’ as his granddaughters lived there, but that had nothing to do with the shooting.
Mirko Uskovic has not been charged with any offence of dishonesty and Daily Mail Australia does not suggest he took his wife’s money, only that Murrell alleged to police he had.
Police found two silencers and several boxes of ammunition at Murrell’s home. He has pleaded guilty to a raft of firearm offences. The silencers are pictured below boxes of bullets
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