‘Life sentence’ for family of murdered man

John Sheffield’s decision to kill his friend and live-in caregiver has left the loved ones of victim Kenneth Magee with a lifetime of pain.

“One moment – ​​that’s all it takes to change someone’s life,” Magee’s daughter Kristy told the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday.

One moment Mrs. Magee was sitting on the couch watching TV, the next she was frantically putting on clothes and rushing to the hospital to be with her dying father.

Just four minutes after that life-changing call from authorities, another call came that thrust her into a messy, life-changing reality.

“One moment I was so angry I could destroy everything I could see… the next I experience complete numbness,” she said, describing how she learned of her father’s death.

“I have cried so many tears that could fill Olympic-sized swimming pools.”

Mrs. Magee was once a dedicated sous chef and loved her job. Now she spends her days withdrawn from family and friends, suffering from the mental overload caused by her father’s death.

“His life was stolen from someone he once called a friend,” she said.

Mr Magee’s younger sister, Allison Menzies, remembers her brother as a selfless man who cared for his friends, loved animals and made his mark as a prolific blood donor.

“Every time I think of Ken, I smile at the memories,” she told the court.

It has been almost a year and a half since Mr. Magee’s death, but time has not yet begun to heal her wounds.

“Instead, the sadness festers deep within me,” she said.

“Ken got the death penalty, but I got a life sentence.”

Menzies reminisced about a life without fear and anxiety before losing her brother.

“Now my dreams are haunted by my brother’s screams,” she said.

For both women, the actions of 56-year-old Sheffield – who admitted killing Mr Magee at their home in Melbourne’s west on December 2, 2024 – have sparked ongoing strife.

“Kenny was loved and I hope he gets the justice he deserves,” Menzies said.

Mr Magee, 62, was sitting in the living room of the Werribee home when Sheffield walked in and hit him with a hammer.

A neighbor heard screams coming from the house and called police who arrived to find the victim unconscious on the couch with serious head injuries.

He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries, which included skull fractures and brain injuries from five blunt impacts.

Sheffield initially told police that someone had broken into their house while listening loudly to a John Farnham DVD in his room.

He said he went outside for a cigarette before returning to find Mr Magee on the sofa with blood pouring from his head.

Sheffield, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, pleaded guilty to one count of murder in March.

Lawyer John Desmond has detailed the couple’s relationship history, citing statements and reports from a neighbor and a domestic violence organization alleging Mr Magee would hit his client in the head, stomach and face with a closed fist.

“It was in that environment that my client committed the crime of murder,” he told the court.

He said the alleged domestic violence had negatively impacted Sheffield’s diagnosis of schizophrenia, leading to a delay in his cognitive and decision-making process that resulted in the murder.

But prosecutor Grant Hayward urged Judge Rita Incerti to be careful with the domestic abuse claims as Sheffield had previously lied to police.

He referred to an earlier hospital report which said Sheffield had denied any concerns about his carer and that he did not feel unsafe with him.

Judge Incerti will hand down her sentence at a later date.

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