Marine who murdered Sydney nurse jailed for life Down Under
A nurse carries a bed pan in the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal North Shore Hospital March 9, 2007 in Sydney, Australia.
Former US marine Walter Marsh will die in jail in Australia after murdering a nurse manager who had decided not to renew his contract in the emergency ward of Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital.
Marsh, 51, was sentenced in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday for the murder of Michelle Beets, Sky News reported.
He was convicted by a jury in November of cutting the throat of the "popular and respected nursing unit manager" outside her Sydney home in April last year.
According to the Brisbane Times, Marsh had developed a deep hatred and resentment of Beets, 57, after she decided not to renew his contract as a nurse at Royal North Shore.
The cancelation of his nursing contract had meant Marsh faced the loss of his 457 visa, which he and his wife Samantha relied on to stay in the country, the Times wrote.
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Marsh, who owed $50,900 in unpaid child support to his ex-wife in the States, had been seeking permanent residency in Australia.
During the trial, it was revealed that Marsh used a throat-cutting technique learned during his Marine training to kill Beets — slitting her throat and stabbing her eight times in the chest, leaving her dying on the porch.
''The infliction of these wounds upon Ms Beets was extraordinarily cruel … The last moments of her life must have been horrifying,'' Justice Derek Price reportedly said.
He also said that Marsh had shown no ''remorse or contrition'' for his ''act of barbarity''.
Upon hearing the sentence, many within the court erupted into cheers and applause.
The Australian newspaper quoted Beets' partner, David Grant, as saying outside the courthouse that he was relieved by the sentence and hoped it would prevent Marsh from ever committing harm again.
"I think he's given a very good and thorough judgment and I hope it can withstand any appeal that Marsh might want to bring," he said. "I'm just happy he's off the streets and can't cause any more harm to anyone else."
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