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A man who called himself the “Hand of Death” and aspired to be one of Australia’s most prolific serial killers told police he “loves to kill” after the brutal murder of a homeless man.
Kevin James Pettiford was sentenced to 39 years in prison by the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday after being found guilty of murder and attempted murder.
The jury found he had killed homeless man Andrew Whyte Murray, 56, by bludgeoning him to death with stones in a park in Tweed Heads, far north New South Wales, on November 22, 2019. He was arrested in a bus at Tweed Heads four days later.
On Wednesday, Judge Hament Dhanji renounced the murder, calling it a “brutal and senseless murder” that betrayed a “complete lack of humanity.”
“The offender acted on a twisted and absolutely abhorrent view that Mr Murray’s life was somehow less valuable as a result of his circumstances,” he said.
Kevin James Pettiford (pictured) will remain behind bars until November 2045
Pettiford was sleeping rough when he came across Mr Murray’s makeshift camp in a park and decided to kill him.
The man was “completely helpless” when the so-called “Hand of Death” grabbed three rocks from a nearby seawall and repeatedly smashed them into his skull.
Five weeks later, the jury found he had slit the throat of fellow inmate Nathan Mellows while in custody at Shortland Correctional Centre.
The court heard he had used a homemade razor made from wire and razor blades to cut the man’s carotid artery in the “unprovoked attack”.
Pettiford had heard the victim tell “a sad story” about “having nowhere to go” and thought she was “beautiful”, Judge Dhanji said.
He told police that he killed by a “code” and that he preyed on men he thought were “less alive” and that no one cared about.
“I love to kill,” the court was heard telling police.
Pettiford called himself “the Hand of Death” and told police it was a “calculated and controlled evil.”
He told police he felt “relieved and elated” after murdering Mr Murray but felt it was “a waste of life”.
Judge Dhanji said he had admitted a “long-standing desire to kill” and had shown a “disregard for human life” by his violent actions.
“He showed nothing that could be described as remorse,” he said.
Pettiford said the murders could have been prevented because years earlier he had revealed in a hospital that he had homicidal impulses.
He argued that he had been mentally disabled at the time of the brutal acts, but jurors found him criminally responsible.
Police arrested Kevin James Pettiford (pictured) on a bus four days after beating a homeless man to death.
Kevin James Pettiford murdered Andrew Murray, a homeless man sleeping rough at Jack Evans Boat Harbor (pictured) in Tweed Heads in 2019.
“Based on the jury’s verdicts, it is clear that the offender knew his act was wrong,” Judge Dhanji said.
“He could reason with at least a moderate degree of common sense and composure.”
However, he concluded that the killer “suffered and continues to suffer from bipolar disorder” which had “materially contributed to the commission of both crimes.”
Judge Dhanji sentenced Pettiford to a maximum of 39 years behind bars with a non-parole period of 26 years.
Taking into account the time the murderer has already served, he will be eligible for parole in November 2045.
Pettiford sat slumped, head bowed, twisting his beard between his fingers as the Supreme Court judge described his heinous crimes.
He was wearing a green prison tracksuit and kept a blank expression when he learned he would spend at least the next 21 years in prison.
Kevin James Pettford was sentenced in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday