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Home / World

Aussie teen Matthew De Gruchy who bludgeoned his family to death walks free

news.com.au
15 Aug, 2019 01:39 AM3 mins to read

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Matthew De Gruchy was 18 years old when killed three members of his family in 1996. Video / 9NEWS

The man who bludgeoned his mother and two siblings to death has been freed from jail after more than 20 years.

Illawarra man Matthew De Gruchy was 18 years old when killed three members of his family in 1996 so violently that they resembled crash victims.

After spending 23 years in prison, he was reportedly released from Long Bay Correctional Complex shortly after 7.30am today, according to The Daily Telegraph.

De Gruchy (second from right) with his father Wayne, mother Jenny, brother Adrian and sister Sarah. Photo / Supplied
De Gruchy (second from right) with his father Wayne, mother Jenny, brother Adrian and sister Sarah. Photo / Supplied

The 41-year-old is expected to live in Sydney and part of his strict parole conditions include that he is not allowed to visit the Illawarra or Shoalhaven local government areas.

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He is also not allowed to contact or harass any of the family members of his victims but will be able to connect with his father Wayne, who has indicated he will help him on release.

De Gruchy was sentenced to a maximum 28 years in jail for murdering his mother Jennifer, 41, sister Sarah, 13, and brother Adrian, 15, in their home.

Police involved in the case have previously told news.com.au they thought De Gruchy should never be released.

"He is a sociopath," Belinda Neil, who detailed the horrific crime in her 2014 book Under Siege, told news.com.au.

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"I saw the damage to those bodies and their faces.

"He wrote notes, disposed of evidence and never ever admitted or showed any remorse.

"It's really worrisome. I don't think he should be let out at all. I think he's a very dangerous person."

De Gruchy was arrested three months after the attack and has always denied he was responsible, insisting that he was at the home of his girlfriend and found the bodies when he returned home.

A murder weapon was never found but was thought to be a car jack, wheel brace or similar.

De Gruchy's mother Jennifer's body was found in her bedroom, his 13-year-old sister Sarah's in her bed and his brother Adrian, 15, outside in a shed.

Their injuries were so violent pathologists later said they looked like plane crash victims.

His mum's injuries were so horrific her brain was almost forced from her head.

The coroner needed blood-match samples to identify her.

Adrian had been doused in petrol, while Sarah also had significant head and facial injuries.

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De Gruchy's father Wayne, who now lives in Tasmania, was away on family business at the time.

De Gruchy was sentenced to a maximum 28 years in jail for murdering his mother Jennifer, 41, sister Sarah, 13, and brother Adrian, 15, in their home. Photo / Supplied
De Gruchy was sentenced to a maximum 28 years in jail for murdering his mother Jennifer, 41, sister Sarah, 13, and brother Adrian, 15, in their home. Photo / Supplied

The bodies were "discovered" by a tearful De Gruchy the next morning.

But a sports bag containing items from the house, including a note with De Gruchy's handwriting and pieces of carpet that were cut from the home, were found several weeks later.

The note had a list that included "knife 1", "have shower", "hit arm with pole" and "hit leg with pole".

Small blood stains that matched De Gruchy were also found at the murder scene.

When knocking back a previous appeal, a High Court judgment wrote "the circumstances of these crimes were horrific".

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"The mind recoils from the idea that an apparently quiet, gentle young man of good character and with no known reason for an animus against his family should brutally slay his mother and young sister and brother," the judgment continued.

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