Rodney Kenyon sentenced to life with extended non-parole period for murder of Fabian Brock
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Darwin man Rodney Kenyon will spend at least 25 years in prison after being sentenced to life for the shooting murder of Fabian Brock.
Dressed in Queensland colours, which was Brock's favourite team, his family and friends said it was time for celebration.
"We're just all so happy, emotions have been everywhere since day one and as you can see everyone around us, I think everyone's happy with the outcome," Brock's mother Ruth Reid said outside court.
"It's a weight off everyone's shoulders, today was the day and we were all waiting for it," said his aunt, Sharon Pilkington.
Last year, 25-year-old Kenyon was found guilty of killing Brock after shooting him in the back of his head following a car chase at Anula in the early hours of June 13, 2015.
The court heard Kenyon had two arguments with Brock and others in his car before the murder.
"The offender then leant out of the rear window and pulled out a shotgun… The deceased then said 'Cuz, cuz, it's me, it's Fabian, it's me stop'," said Justice Stephen Southwood.
"The offender acted in a completely callous and cold-hearted manner."
'We'll never know why'
But one big question remains unanswered, why Kenyon killed Brock.
"That is the hardest, we'll never know, only he knows and we'll never know why," said Ms Reid.
Justice Southwood said ten people, including family members and people who were present during the killing, submitted victim impact statements.
"This murder has had a devastating impact on the deceased's family and friends. They've been emotionally shattered and their lives have been irreparably damaged," he said.
"The offender has a criminal history in the NT which extends for seven pages of significance."
The Crown argued Kenyon deserved a larger non-parole period than the minimum 20 years, because he was already in jail for raping a woman and assaulting her with a machete in 2014.
But Kenyon's lawyer argued there was room for rehabilitation, saying his extensive criminal history was a result of addiction to alcohol, amphetamines, and ice.
"Why would you say he's going to serve 28 years? It becomes rather crushing," said lawyer Tom Berkley.
"At the moment, he'll be 45 going on 46 when he's released. Why keep him there until he's 53?"
But Justice Southwood extended the non-parole period, meaning Kenyon is now due for parole in 25 years.
Brock's family said they were now looking forward to moving on with their lives.
"Now we just get on with the business of looking after each other and looking after his little boy, that's the most important thing," Ms Reid said.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, murder-and-manslaughter, crime, australia, palmerston-0830, nt
