Oz man kills landlord, hacks off 'genitals to keep as souvenir'

Brisbane, Nov 30 (ANI): A man in Australia killed his landlord and then hacked off his genitals also because he wanted to keep them as a souvenir.

A Supreme Court jury was told that Michael Stephen Owen-Darcy, 31, who was a boarder at the Inala home of Mater Hospital nurse David Easton, had committed the crime in July 2007.

Opening the case, prosecutor Brendan Campbell said Easton was found with 41 stab wounds to his body, and his penis and testicles cut off.

The 37-year-old was lying on his back in his bed, a bloodied children's book on his chest and band-aids with open eyes drawn on them covering his eyes.

There was a stack of electrical equipment, including a film camera, at the end of his bed, and when police developed the film they discovered Easton, while deceased, had been put into poses by the person taking the pictures.

The jury was told Easton's testicles were found in the kitchen sink and his penis was found wrapped in cling film and placed inside a salt container.

They jury heard a bayonet was found stabbed into a lounge chair and several bloodied knifes were also discovered at the scene.

Campbell said Easton was openly homosexual and on the night of his murder, he came home from a shift in the Mater's intensive care unit and consumed prescription drugs he claimed to have stolen from his work.

Easton, the accused and a friend of the accused then danced around his home with their penises exposed, and during the dancing Owen-Darcy's friend engaged in a sex act with the former.

Easton then retired to his bedroom and Owen-Darcy followed him.

Some time later Owen-Darcy returned to the lounge room and told his friend he had just killed Easton.

"If you don't believe me, come and have a look," the Brisbane Times quoted him as allegedly having said.

The court was told the friend went to the bedroom and saw Easton lying in a pool of blood on his bed, and Owen-Darcy jumping on him and stabbing him with a bayonet several time.

He emerged from the room laughing, then he later saw him holding Easton's penis, saying he wanted to keep it as a souvenir.

The matter came to light when Owen-Darcy's friend went to a mental health facility and then to the PA Hospital where he divulged information about the incident to authorities.

Owen-Darcy has pleaded not guilty to murder and not guilty to interfering with a corpse. He has pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. (ANI)