Gabrielle Marshall: Her mother speaks out after Colin William Drake pleads guilty to murder
A grandmother has shared her heartbreak over losing her daughter in a random attack two years ago – as her child’s killer finally pleads guilty to the shocking murder.
Gabrielle Marshall, 23, was found dead at a friend’s house on Main Street in Ulverstone, in Tasmania’s northwest, at 3am on June 15, 2021.
Colin William Drake, 37, who was not known to Ms Marshall, was found at a house on the same street where she was staying, and was arrested the same day and charged with murder.
He initially pleaded not guilty to murder, but last month he changed his plea to guilty.
Ms Marshall’s mother Heidi said her daughter had big plans for a new life in Tasmania, including buying a house and going skiing with her child.
Gabrielle Marshall, 23, was found dead at a friend’s house on Main Street in Ulverstone, in Tasmania’s northwest, at 3am on June 15, 2021.
“And then the next thing, she’s gone. All those dreams and hopes she had for her and her daughter just went away,” she said. Seven short stories.
Ms Marshall, who had a daughter of her own, had just left Queensland three weeks earlier to start a new life.
She had returned from an appointment on the night of June 15 at the home of a friend where she had been living since her move.
Her friend called the police in the middle of the night to report a man “lurkling” in her house.
She was on the phone to emergency services for 11 minutes, but when officers arrived they found Ms Marshall had been stabbed to death in a room.
Ms Marshall was the youngest of six children, with her mother describing her as “beautiful inside and out”, with a huge heart.
“It totally destroyed my family. It’s really very difficult. The pain is constant,” Heidi said.
Ms. Marshall was killed in a random attack. His murderer was not known to him
Ms Marshall’s friend and his friend’s children are said to have witnessed the young woman’s murder. Her own daughter was only six years old at the time.
Heidi now plans to travel to Tasmania for Drake’s sentencing on October 23.
“I want to face him and I want to tell him what he did to the family,” she said.
Drake was remanded in custody ahead of his appearance in the Tasmanian Supreme Court next month.
