A Perth woman who beat her boyfriend to death has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for almost two decades.
In an “explosion of rage,” Brittany McCulloch punched, whipped and bit Jordan Chas Caine dozens of times using a rake, an extension cord, scissors, a broken mop and a skateboard.
Western Australian Supreme Court Justice Stephen Lemonis said what Caine suffered was a “serious form of domestic violence”. Western Australia reported.
The “prolonged and brutal attack” took place in July 2022 at the couple’s home in the coastal Perth suburb of Alkimos.
It is not known how long the attack lasted or what McCulloch’s motive was, with his own lawyer. Seamus Rafferty SC admitting that his client had “told too many lies” and that “specifically what happened” may never be known.
The lies began when McCulloch called Triple-0 and said he had found Caine, 34, on the floor with cuts to his wrist.
When the paramedics arrived at the house they became suspicious and called the police.
An officer heard McCulloch, now 30, tell someone in a phone call that Caine had taken his own life.
Brittany McCulloch will spend at least 19 and a half years behind bars
He told another officer that his partner, whom he later described as a “soft, loving, shy, kind-hearted… loving person,” had committed suicide.
The couple had only been together eight months at the time of the murder.
The court heard McCulloch told police he had gone for a walk on the beach at 3am because he couldn’t sleep and when he returned at 6am he found Mr Caine in the garage.
She said her boyfriend suffered from anxiety and depression and had committed suicide.
McCulloch denied there had been domestic violence issues, but neighbors told police they often heard loud arguments in the house and that she was the “aggressor.”
McCulloch described her boyfriend Jordan Chas Caine (pictured) as a “soft, caring, shy, kind-hearted… loving person.”
He eventually admitted to assaulting Mr Caine, but that he did not intend to kill him.
She was charged with serious bodily injury resulting in death, a charge that was later upgraded to involuntary manslaughter.
When an autopsy found that Caine had suffered more than 50 separate injuries, the charge against McCulloch was raised again to murder.
Caine had injuries to his head, back, arms, legs and abdomen, and the cause of his death was multiple soft tissue injuries and extensive blood loss.
At a court hearing in June, McCulloch was asked if he was pleading guilty to the murder charge and responded: “I’m guilty.”
Her lawyer said she accepted she deserved to be punished and was “truly sorry for taking the life of someone she loved.”
In an ‘explosion of rage’, Brittany McCulloch punched, whipped and bit her boyfriend dozens of times
Rafferty said he never thought he could be responsible for someone’s death in such a violent way and that he had a complete lack of understanding of his own personality.
The court heard McCulloch had anger issues, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder due to his difficult childhood.
The lawyer said she had not planned to murder her boyfriend, that “it was a pure explosion of anger.”
“She would react to a situation, whatever it was, by descending into red mist, a complete loss of control, a fit of anger and rage.”
His victim’s family and friends were devastated by his death, and his mother wrote in her victim impact statement that she felt further agony knowing how her son suffered.
Although Caine was unconscious at the time of his death, before then he would have been terrified and in pain, the court heard.
Judge Lemonis took into account McCulloch’s late guilty plea, the fact that the murder was not premeditated and his remorse when deciding the sentence.
She was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years and six months.
