Nephew Sentenced to 24 Years for Murdering Uncle in Shocking Act of Violence

A 45-year-old man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for murdering his 63-year-old uncle in a shocking act of violence in Victoria's east.

Jethro Curtis was found guilty of killing his uncle, Stephen Curtis, a jeweller from Maffra, on January 18. The Supreme Court heard that Jethro Curtis had sent text messages in the days leading up to the murder, expressing his desire to commit the crime.

"Tonight I'm doing this," Jethro Curtis said in one text message read to the court. "It's nearly time to get this show on the road."

The court heard that Jethro Curtis suspected his uncle of sexually assaulting him and others, although these allegations have not been proven. "You told police you made sure he was dead, you had snapped because of lots of things that had hurt your feelings and that you believed he was a child molester," Justice Rita Incerti said.

"While these allegations have not been proven, [your psychologist] indicates that he believes them to be plausible."

Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu told the court that Jethro Curtis admitted to his crimes during a police interview in January. "I hit him a lot, I strangled him, I tried to strangle him a few times with a few different things and then like he just stopped, so I stopped," Jethro Curtis told police.

"I made sure he was dead. It is what it is, man."

The court heard that Jethro Curtis lived in a makeshift bedroom in a shed at the rear of a property his mother bought with the victim, using inheritance from their mother. Stephen Curtis was a 63-year-old jeweller who had trouble walking after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in recent years.

The court heard that Jethro Curtis entered his uncle's bedroom and began punching him, before throwing him on the floor and kicking him. He then taped his face so he could not speak and strangled him with a charger cord.

After the killing, Jethro Curtis draped the body in a shower curtain so his mother would not find her brother dead on the floor. The next morning, he logged into his uncle's bank account and stole $5,500 before driving the victim's car to Traralgon, buying clothes and leaving the car in an underground car park.

Jethro Curtis was apprehended by police in Seaford two days after the murder, where he had been staying with acquaintances. In one phone call, he told the mother of some of his children what he had done. "I killed Steve last night, I left him in his bedroom, please call me soon before I hand myself in," he said in a voicemail message.

Justice Incerti sentenced Jethro Curtis to 24 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 17 years. The murder was not characterised as an act of vigilantism, but rather as an impulsive and volatile act.