A man has been jailed for life over the "devious" and "callous" murders of his Wangaratta parents, which stemmed from an argument over a hairdryer.
It has been more than three years since Bill and Pauline Thomas died in the Great Alpine home at the hands of their son, Ian Thomas, who had just moved home to start a new life in the region.
He strangled his mother in the shed, after an argument over a hairdryer, then moved the body inside, where he waited for his father.
When his father came home and walked into the bedroom, Ian Thomas was wearing a balaclava and fired a shotgun into the older man's chest before beating his head with a pick-axe.
In the Wangaratta Supreme Court on Monday, the 38-year-old was sentenced to life for the murder of his father and 30 years for the murder of his mother, to be served concurrently.
The family had been fractured for years and Thomas claimed in his six-week trial that as a child he was beaten by his father using a belt called "Joey".
But Justice Lex Lasry said it was unsurprising the jury rejected the story that Thomas killed his father in self-defence after the man killed his mother.
"In my opinion, you did kill your mother spontaneously after an argument," Justice Lasry said. "The murder of your father was the only option you saw available … You continue to harbour resentment to both your parents."
The cover-up attempt was described as a "calculated plan and a callous killing".
Thomas admitted his crimes to his girlfriend, Jacinta Emselle, who he called and ran to after the murders to help him dispose of the weapons and provide an alibi. But her testimony against Thomas proved to be a key part of the trial.
Justice Lasry described the victim impact statements of the Thomas siblings as "harrowing reading".
"These people have had their lives shattered by what you did," he said. "There is a broader effect on the community of Wangaratta."
Justice Lasry said Thomas had shown no remorse by pleading not guilty at the trial, but was unlikely to pose a further threat when he was released.
Thomas will be eligible for parole after 32 years.
Border Mail