A Geelong man who repeatedly stabbed a 26-year-old amid a romantic dispute and left him for dead with a 14 centimetre-deep chest wound has been found guilty of murder.
Ashley Roy Feetham maintained his innocence throughout a trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria, claiming he killed Dylan Bond and seriously injured his younger brother Heath Bond in self-defence.
Feetham was in a relationship with Heath’s ex-fiancee Abbey Sexton after the couple broke up because of his and Ms Sexton’s affair.
About a fortnight after the break-up on Saturday April 24, 2021, Ms Sexton and Feetham were out with friends in Geelong’s CBD when Heath – who was at a different nightclub with his own mates – caught wind his ex was nearby.
The pair met up in the early hours of Sunday and had an emotional discussion about their broken relationship, before Feetham – agitated his girlfriend was speaking to her ex – interrupted and the men fought, prosecutor Mark Gibson KC earlier told a jury.
The former couple organised to meet again on April 26 and Ms Sexton ended up speaking to Heath’s older brother Dylan about the CBD fight.
She relayed the conversation back to Feetham who went on to message Dylan on Facebook, the prosecutor said.
The messages between the men gradually got more heated, with Dylan saying, “let’s sort it”, and Feetham telling him to come to Ms Sexton’s house, Mr Gibson said.
Feetham then messaged his sister, saying: “Heath and his brother are coming to Abbey’s to get me. Can you bring me a hammer or something?”
Feetham’s sister and mother later pulled up outside the house in separate cars before the Bond brothers arrived, sitting in their car for about five minutes before coming out and telling Feetham’s sister they weren’t going to touch Feetham.
Heath walked around to the side of the house and yelled “Ash” before opening a sliding door when Feetham ran towards him and stabbed him with a large kitchen knife, the prosecutor said.
Dylan then got into a scuffle with and tried to restrain Feetham, who ultimately stabbed him multiple times, including fatally in the chest, Mr Gibson alleged.
Feetham got into his mother’s car and she drove him to hospital to treat cuts to his hand.
Dylan died at the scene while Heath required surgery and spent several days in intensive care.
Defence barrister Hayden Rattray told jurors Feetham was at every stage acting in self-defence, and it was Dylan who took the knife from the bench after the two brothers were on top of him and punching him.
The jury rejected that version of events on Friday, finding Feetham guilty of murder and intentionally causing serious injury.
When jurors returned the murder verdict, a family member in the court room shouted, “yes”.
Judge Stephen Kaye told him to leave the room and said he was in contempt of court.
Feetham is due to face a plea hearing on November 6.
