Aussie man who took ‘chilling’ delight in brutally murdering his parents fights 42-year jail sentence

WARNING: Distressing content A man who nursed violent fantasies and threatened to kill family members before murdering his parents is fighting his sentence more than a decade after the brutal crimes. Corey Alan Breen murdered his father, Paul Breen, and stepmother, Felicia Crawford, on Good Friday in 2013. He used a hunting knife to smash glass panels of his father’s door before kicking it down, later admitting to police that he had smashed the glass to give his dad the “f**king spooks before I killed the c**t”. He stabbed Paul 15 times and Ms Crawford 10. Breen was caught by police shortly afterwards, with an officer telling him he was under arrest for the stabbings and car theft. “Multiple murder, mate … I achieved my mission,” Breen replied. Hauntingly, he had been on his way to his mother’s house when he was caught, admitting he would have “knifed her”, his mum’s boyfriend, his siblings, and “whoever else was there”. Breen had been nursing violent fantasies for years before the murders, with a letter written to his mum in 2009 describing how he often plotted out the murders of people he hated. While sentencing Judge Jane Mathews found the murders were not spontaneous, she could not find they were deliberately “hatched well in advance”. Breen was jailed for 42 years with a non-parole period of 33 years in 2015. Now 38, he is fighting for a lesser sentence. An appeal hearing kicked off in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Wednesday morning, with a group of Paul and Ms Crawford’s family sitting inside as Breen dialled in on an audiovisual link from prison. Crown prosecutor Stephanie Lind told the court how Paul and Ms Crawford’s deaths had devastated their family, and the harm caused should be reflected in any new sentence. She said much of the family continues to suffer with the effects of the horrific crimes to this day. “(The sentence) must vindicate the dignity of each of these deceased … and reflect the harm that has been caused by the deaths of each individual,” Ms Lind said. Killer’s ‘chilling’ delight in murdering parents Judge Matthews wrote in her 2015 judgment how Breen had taken “delight” in killing his parents during a police interview, stating: “The delight he expressed in having murdered the two victims is quite chilling.” The judgment also described how Breen had expressed “pleasure” over the murders and said he had an “absolute pure hatred” of Paul and Ms Crawford during the interview. Ms Lind submitted the chilling aspect of the interview was evident not only by what Breen said in the interview but also the timing. “It was said barely an hour … after the killings,” she said. “He still had his hands stained with blood, and he spoke to the police with complete composure describing in detail how he had intended to … butcher (his grandparents).” Killer’s alleged threats in jail Sam Pararajasingham SC, appearing for Breen, urged the court to uphold Judge Matthews’ finding that Breen had reasonable prospects of rehabilitation, arguing there was no question Breen had outbursts but there had been no acts of physical violence in custody. Justice Kristina Stern noted there were indications of several verbal outbursts and some threats during Breen’s time in custody that could reflect a pattern similar to Breen’s before the murders. Ms Lind detailed several alleged threats made in the last few years, including Breen allegedly saying “if you open that door … you better bring a body bag” in March 2024. In 2022, he allegedly said “What do I have to do, start stabbing c**ts to be left alone?” Ms Lind said a psychologist also noted in a 2023 email words to the effect that Breen felt he was “almost at exploding point and is primed to go off”. “There is a … concerning issue that is still unresolved despite that decade in custody,” Ms Lind said. Mr Pararajasingham said “the process of rehabilitation is obviously a long one”, and Breen had ample time to work at it. Mr Pararajasingham ultimately urged the court to give a discount on Breen’s sentence. “Plainly this applicant would receive a substantial sentence by this court, I’m not suggesting otherwise,” Mr Pararajasingham said However, he maintained a discount could still be given, saying there were procedures available that could ease any concerns about his client getting out of prison “too soon”. Justice Natalie Adams interjected to point out the sentencing judge’s decision not to discount his jail term should not be viewed “in a vacuum”, noting Breen had narrowly escaped a life sentence. Ms Lind also submitted the gravity of the offences should be taken into account in resentencing, citing Breen’s “scare tactic” of smashing the glass door before he carried out the killings. “These were deliberate, brutal killings of two family members in their own home,” Ms Lind told the court. She added it was evident the murders were not just something that had come to Breen’s mind that day, as he had expressed threats to kill other family members and his intention to kill Paul and Mrs Crawford repeatedly before the crimes. “This was something that had been expressed repeatedly by (Breen) to family members over some years,” Ms Lind said Breen’s other grounds of appeal argued that mistakes had been made in taking into account nine connected offences from a crime spree of Breen’s on the afternoon of the murders and by finding that the offences involved multiple victims and a series of criminal acts was an aggravating factor. ‘Violent fantasies’ years before murders Breen had been nursing “violent fantasies” long before killing his parents, evidenced by a chilling letter he wrote to his mum in 2009. He wrote he was “happy” but things changed when he was alone. “I get very angry and plot out murders of people I hate... I run over it again and again refining every detail,” Breen wrote. “They are always extremely horrific and extremely brutal. “I’m scared someday soon the monster that I’ve kept locked away for so long will finally reach the surface.” Breen wrote that people would suffer and die if the “monster” was unleashed, acknowledging the thoughts were “evil” and he had not acted on them because nothing had “pushed (him) quite that far yet”. “But I do feel it is close,” he wrote. Judge Mathews said in her judgment the “letter assumes a highly chilling quality when one considers the circumstances of these offences, more than 3½ years later”. news.com.au mental health helplines