Darryl Valroy Young: Farmer jailed for 40 years for killing three neighbours

A cattle farmer who murdered three members of a neighbouring family and tried to kill a fourth will serve at least 40 years behind bars over the mass shooting at a remote property.

Darryl Valroy Young, 63, was found guilty by a jury on Friday of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder following his trial in the Queensland Supreme Court sitting at Townsville.

Mervyn Schwarz, his wife Maree and her son Graham Tighe were shot dead at the gate to Young’s cattle station at Bogie, southwest of Townsville, on August 4, 2022.

Justice Christopher Johnstone on Monday sentenced Young to life with a minimum of 40 years for his “heinous” actions that represented the worst kind of offending.

Young opened fire on the family with a rifle like he was “killing feral animals on your property”, Justice Johnstone said.

Young also attempted to kill Graham’s brother Ross Tighe, who was shot in his lower torso.

The jury heard Young killed the family over the belief they had stolen livestock.

He called them to a meeting at his property gate at 8am on the day of the shooting.

Young was also sentenced to 16 years for the attempted murder.

Jury members deliberated for three days following a four-week trial.

During the three-week trial, Young pleaded not guilty to all four charges, but the Crown argued the shooting was a deliberate attack carried out after tensions over livestock had intensified.

Ross Tighe gave evidence that Young retrieved a rifle and opened fire during a heated exchange at the front gate, while the defence argued Young was not the gunman and suggested Ross Tighe may have been responsible, a claim the prosecution dismissed as implausible.