EXCLUSIVE
By PAUL MILLAR
THE DAUGHTER of a Geelong West woman murdered in her Hope Street home in 1992 is hopeful that a $1million reward will be enough incentive to bring her killer to justice.
Jacinta Martin sobbed, remembering happier times, saying not a day passed without her thinking about her mother Annette Maree Steward.
Ms Steward, 29, was found dead in her bedroom by a former flatmate, with an electrical cord around her neck. She had also suffered head injuries. A post-mortem revealed she died as a result of strangulation.
The State Government, through Victoria Police, recently announced the $1 million reward for “information leading to the apprehension and subsequent conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of Annette Maree Steward”.
Ms Martin and her brother, Aaron, who now have families of their own in Queensland, said they would never have real closure but welcomed any move that brought the killer to the courts.
“It’s been more than 20 years and as a family we have had to deal with the loss and move on as best we could,” Ms Martin told the Independent through tears.
“We want what everybody wants, we want somebody brought to justice and anything that helps we are happy with.”
She urged anybody with any information to come forward “even if it is for the selfish reason of claiming $1million, if it helps identify who did it that would be great.”
Ms Martin remembers her mother as a woman full of life, who would always help others.
“Every day and every year my brother and I have missed out on special times but the hardest thing now is explaining to her grandchildren why she is not here. She has missed out on seeing her grandchildren, weddings, we should be sharing all that.’’
Coroner Iain West said in his findings in 2007 that Craig Cameron Rogers was the sole suspect in the murder, despite his constant denials of involvement.
Days before she was murdered Ms Steward told colleagues at the Point Henry ammunitions factory where she worked that she was angry with Mr Rogers, a co-worker.
She is believed to have known Mr Rogers for about two years.
The coroner said in his finding that detectives had interviewed Mr Rogers several times about the murder.
“They established that he was far more involved with the deceased than he had previously led police to believe,“ he said.
A spokesman for Victoria Police said it was hopeful that the reward would generate more interest in the case and encourage anybody with any information to come forward.
