One of two men accused of beating to death a notorious paedophile in a Queensland jail has confessed to the killing in a defiant court appearance where he said he didn’t need a lawyer.
Bodhi James Barry Johnson, 29, and Isaac James Martin, 31, faced Brisbane Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday after each were charged with a single count of murder over the death of Shannon Daniel Norgate, 28, at Maryborough Correctional Centre last year.
Norgate, who was serving a prison sentence for sexually abusing young boys and posed as a security guard to lure his victims into toilets at a school and shopping centre in Gladstone, was allegedly assaulted on November 26, and died of his injuries in hospital on December 1.
Martin told the court on Thursday he wanted to represent himself and “hadn’t bothered” to seek legal advice, The Courier Mail reported.
“Well it’s a murder charge,” Magistrate Aaron Simpson told him, and strongly advised him to get legal representation as he faced a mandatory life sentence if convicted, to which Martin replied “yeah it’s all good”.
“That’s right your honour, I killed old mate because he’s a child molester, he likes kids. I’m not denying it, I killed him,” he told the court.
Magistrate Simpson told Martin that “killing a person doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a murder”.
“There’s different levels of killing a person … A lawyer might be able to help you get the best result,” the magistrate said.
Johnson told the court he spoke to Legal Aid Queensland on Wednesday to arrange a lawyer.
Both men were remanded in custody to face court again on March 9. Neither have entered a plea.
Norgate spent just 406 days in jail for the school bathroom attack and put on three years’ probation, but in 2020 made headlines again after being found living 30m from a primary school in Brisbane.
Then in 2023 he was caught grooming a 12-year-old boy and jailed for just two more years despite the judge describing him as a “true predator”.
Header image: Left, Bodhi James Barry Johnson (Queensland Police). Right, Shannon Norgate (supplied).
