Widower stuns court with compassionate wish for teen who killed his wife Rosemary Franzidis in high-speed crash
The 18-year-old has learned his fate for causing the beloved grandmother’s death two years ago.
A teenager who was high on drugs and speeding when he killed a beloved grandmother has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison, and will not face adult-crime, adult-time penalties.
The young man, who was 16 at the time of the accident and had never held a driver’s licence, cannot be named.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Widower’s stunning wish for teen who killed his wife in horror crash
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.He was sentenced for manslaughter in Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Rosemary Franzidis, 69, was killed in November 2024 in a collision, when the teenager ran a red light in a stolen Audi and slammed into her car while travelling at 136km/h as she entered an intersection on Dohle’s Rocks Rd in Murrumba Downs, north of Brisbane.
Rosemary had just left church when the crash happened and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her killer had been part of a group terrorising three women that night with a replica gun, shouting “we will shoot”, before stealing a Holden Barina and then the Audi.
He drove at high speed on the wrong side of the road, with evidence showing he had the accelerator pressed down fully in the four seconds before the crash.
The teenager pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The court heard he could not explain his actions, but blamed a cocktail of drugs and a week without sleep.
He had consumed methamphetamine and cannabis before embarking on a spree of offending with two older accomplices.
One of them, Racheal Collyer, 37, whom he had met on the day Rosemary was killed, was driving behind him in another stolen vehicle with 21-year-old Dylan Anderson.
Collyer was sentenced for her role in the offending in August.
Justice Kerri Mellifont took into account mitigating circumstances including the young man’s early guilty plea, remorse, participation in a restorative justice program and prospects of rehabilitation.
The court also heard he had witnessed and experienced serious domestic violence at the hands of his mother, from whom he was now estranged, and had no criminal history until the months leading up to the crash.
The judge reduced the head sentence by 50 per cent, saying the teenager had used his time in custody well.
“You have taken up each and every opportunity you can to improve yourself,” she said.
Because the crash occurred in November 2024, he will not face the tougher adult-crime, adult-time laws, which were introduced a month later.
He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail and, with 706 days already served in custody, is expected to be eligible for parole by mid-2028.
Widower’s stunning show of compassion for wife’s killer
Rosemary’s husband, Jean-Paul Franzidis, paid tribute to his wife of almost 50 years in a moving victim impact statement delivered at the young man’s sentencing for manslaughter in Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday.
“There is a big empty space in my life,” he told the court.
“Half of me is no more, and the better half by far.”
In a remarkable moment in court, he then expressed a wish for the teenager who killed his wife.
“My wish is that the young man in the dock will find someone in his life that will choose him and love him as my wife personally loved me,” he said.
The now 18-year-old wept and shook during the statement by Jean-Paul and when details of the fatal injuries suffered by his wife were read to the court.
Mellifont told the teenager to be grateful for the Franzidis family’s generosity.
“I hope you realise how fortunate you are they have such a generous attitude,” she said, as the young man nodded.
Rosemary’s family described the loss as violent and unexpected.
“There was no time for final conversations or goodbyes,” her daughter Alexia Franzidis said in a victim impact statement.
Alexia remembered her mother as “kind, generous and full of love”.
Jean-Paul thanked those who had supported his family through the ordeal.
Outside court, he briefly addressed the media.
“The law has taken its course,” he said.
“The young man has been sentenced today for an unspeakable crime against my family and our society.”
He applauded the Queensland Liberal National government for its attention to youth crime, which he described as “a scourge on our society”.
- With AAP
Originally published as Widower’s stunning wish for teen who killed wife in crash
