SA: Man jailed after killing his drinking buddy

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2001
SA: Man jailed after killing his drinking buddy

The South Australian Supreme Court has jailed a 42-year-old man for a minimum of almost
20 years for the murder of his drinking partner.

In setting a non-parole period of 19 years eight months for RUSSELL JOHN MORAN, Justice
BRUCE DEBELLE says the stabbing was an unjustified and callous killing.

DETLEV WEGNER was stabbed through the heart in his flat in November 1998, after spending
much of the previous night drinking at an Adelaide hotel with MORAN.

The judge says there's no apparent motive for the killing, which MORAN had blamed on
someone else.

While MORAN had expressed some anger towards Mr WEGNER for not returning borrowed property,
there's no suggestion that prompted the murder.

Justice DEBELLE says the killing might have been the result of a drunken argument,
but with MORAN still denying any involvement no explanation was available.

AAP RTV tjd/jn

KEYWORD: MORAN (ADELAIDE)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.