Court hears how Rockefeller died

A court has heard how Melbourne multi-millionaire Herman Rockefeller was killed, dismembered and his remains set on fire after he went to a house to have sex with 'swingers'.

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His wife, Vicky, knew nothing of her husband's double life in which the Harvard graduate advertised in a magazine to have sex with strangers, the Victorian Supreme Court heard on Monday.

Mr Rockefeller was killed in January after he failed to bring along a partner to have sex with Bernadette Denny, 42, and Mario Schembri, 58, at their unit at Hadfield in Melbourne's north.

He told them his name was Andy Kingston and he had a wife called Jenny who would join in the sex, prosecutor Chris Beale SC said.

"This was false as his actual wife Vicky knew nothing about it," Mr Beale said on Monday.

Denny and Schembri pleaded guilty last month to Mr Rockefeller's manslaughter and on Monday were facing a pre-sentence hearing.

Mr Beale told the court Mr Rockefeller had just returned from an interstate business trip when he made contact with Denny.

When he arrived at the unit, Schembri asked where Mr Rockefeller's wife was, and Mr Rockefeller tried to leave.

As he did, Schembri pushed him and a fight began.

"Schembri implied that the deceased had no chance against him and compared himself to (boxing star) Muhammad Ali," Mr Beale said.

"He didn't know how many times he punched him or where exactly he punched him. Schembri said it was the hardest he'd ever hit anyone," Beale added.

Mr Rockefeller fell to the ground, hit his head and died.

Two days later, Denny and Schembri went to Bunnings and bought a chainsaw, plastic sheets, disposable overalls, facemasks and a dustpan and shovel, Mr Beale said.

Schembri then dismembered Mr Rockefeller with the chainsaw and burnt his body in a 44-gallon drum.

Justice Terry Forrest said the dismemberment clearly added to the Rockefeller family's trauma.

"What has occurred after he has died not only was designed to conceal (detection) of the crime, but it also showed a callous indifference to the loved ones of the deceased and it must necessarily add to their trauma," Justice Forrest said.

Schembri's barrister Geoffrey Steward said his client was frank with police and provided graphic details of the killing.

Mr Steward said the dispute between Schembri and Mr Rockefeller had escalated because his client "felt he was being taken for a fool, taken for a ride".

"It is a circumstance, clearly, where he became very angry and very upset by what was taking place and he struck Mr Rockefeller a number of times and he died," Mr Steward said.

Denny's barrister, Philip Dunn, QC, said the death was unplanned, unexpected and no one gained from it.

Mr Dunn said his client was an unsophisticated woman who had fallen "head over heals" for Schembri.

Mr Beale asked that Schembri be jailed for between six and 10 years and that Denny be jailed for between five and eight years.

Justice Forrest will sentence the pair at a date to be fixed.






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Source: AAP

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