A man who shot dead a rival from point blank range after pursuing him in a dangerous car chase has been jailed for at least 17 years.
Joshua Rozynski, 29, and two family members followed Daniel Eagle through the streets of Geelong over a disputed drug debt on the morning of March 27, 2021.
During the pursuit, Mr Eagle’s car mounted a footpath and sped through an intersection before it collided with a semi-trailer.
After the crash, Rozynski got out of his car and approached Mr Eagle in the front passenger seat with a sawn-off shot gun.
The 29-year-old shot him in the back from close range before fleeing the scene and setting his clothes on fire at home.
The entire ordeal was reckless, dangerous and entirely unacceptable, Supreme Court Justice Ross Champion said on Friday 15 December.
Rozynski lacked the basic humanity to help Mr Eagle after a serious crash, instead shooting him in the back, the justice said.
“You had multiple opportunities to pause, reflect on your actions and stop,” Justice Champion said in his sentencing remarks.
The case was a serious example of murder as Rozynski also endangered members of the public who had the right to move safely through the streets, the justice said.
“You have robbed a family of their loved one and put many other lives at risk in the process,” he said.
Justice Champion accepted Rozynski had pleaded guilty before trial and expressed remorse to the family and friends of Mr Eagle.
The 29-year-old also had little prior contact with the criminal justice system despite a difficult upbringing and he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
But Justice Champion said he needed to send a message to the community that such egregious conduct would be punished.
Rozynski was jailed for 24 years but he will be eligible for parole after 17 years.
He shook his head and mouthed the word “bulls***” as the sentence was handed down, before trying to hug two family members as he was led from the court.
