Man's revenge killing of colleague over council sacking

After being sacked for stealing from a council job he loved, Glenn Usher-Clarke spent years seething and brewing his hatred for an old friend who dobbed him in.

He moved interstate to help support his ailing mother and formed a plan to murder Marty Sheahan, then kill himself, the Coroners Court in Melbourne was told on Friday.

Usher-Clarke obtained a gun permit in NSW, despite worsening mental health and suffering three strokes that had altered his personality.

On Australia Day 2022, the 57-year-old was staying with his daughter in Warburton. He left two suicide notes and went to Mr Sheahan's home where he shot him dead in front of his wife.

After the murder, Usher-Clarke went to a toilet block and took his own life. Before his death, he called and texted loved ones, including a friend whom he told "I've just killed Marty, I'm ringing to say goodbye".

He then alerted police to his own whereabouts.

Coroner Sarah Gebert, who is investigating the deaths of both men, indicated she intended to make a recommendation about the use of NSW firearms in Victoria.

"I am acutely aware the circumstances of this case would have originally involved a criminal trial," she told the court. 

"In these circumstances, unfortunately some questions may remain unanswered."

Usher-Clarke and Mr Sheahan had known each other since they were teenagers after meeting through junior football in the Yarra Valley.

Mr Sheahan, who worked in infrastructure at Yarra Ranges Council, recommended Usher-Clarke for a casual position at the council in 2015.

After suffering a back injury, divorcing from his wife and suffering three strokes, Usher-Clarke believed the council position was a "pinnacle" in his life, coronial investigator Alicia Thorp said. 

"He saw it as an opportunity to break the cycle of unstable employment," she said.

But he was sacked from the council job that same year after stealing a chainsaw. Mr Sheahan heard about the theft and reluctantly told his supervisor, who later fired Usher-Clarke.

Detective Thorp said his hatred for Mr Sheahan had "festered" in the years after the 2015 sacking. 

He became depressed, withdrew from his friends and relocated to Narooma in NSW to be near his elderly mother, telling people he hated Mr Sheahan and he was "meant to be his f***ing mate".

After his mother moved into assistant living and he had a falling out with one of his brothers, she said Usher-Clarke began plotting the murder.

He legally obtained a NSW gun permit, sought friends he had not seen for years and began a goodbye tour as he moved back to the Yarra Valley, Det Thorp said.

NSW required Usher-Clarke to answer one medical question to get a gun licence, whereas in Victoria there were four, including mental health, alcohol or drug issues and conditions such as a stroke or brain injury, she said.

Det Thorp said Victoria's process was "most certainly" more rigorous. However, she noted the state allowed interstate permit holders a three-month grace period to obtain a Victorian licence.

The coroner adjourned the inquest and will deliver her findings at a later date.

Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 22 4636