Daytime baseball bat murder in park 'driven by anger'

A young man who murdered his grandmother’s partner with a baseball bat in broad daylight at a park in Tasmania will spend up to 16 years in jail.

Braydon Eugene Kelleher, 21, was “driven by anger” when he struck Adrian Garcia, 51, three times to the head with the bat in March 2021.

Kelleher had taken the bat to the park in the town of Sorell to confront Garcia after learning he had made disparaging comments about his late mother.

There, Kelleher became upset and agitated with Garcia, who was intoxicated after drinking a large amount of vodka.

“You impulsively struck (him) to the head with considerable force,” Justice Gregory Geason said during sentencing in the Supreme Court of Tasmania in Hobart on Thursday.

Justice Geason said Kelleher did not go to the park intending to kill Garcia but should have known the blows would cause death.

One of the strikes was delivered while Garcia was on the ground and Kelleher could see he was bleeding.

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Kelleher called an ambulance after the attack and was “immediately” regretful, fully admitting what he had done, Justice Geason said.

Kelleher earlier pleaded not guilty to murder and was found guilty by a jury in November.

Justice Geason said the incident occurred in full view of members of the public, including school students who were waiting for the bus.

Kelleher, who has been in custody since May 2021, was sentenced to 16 years’ jail with a non-parole period of eight years.

Justice Geason said the death of Garcia had a significant impact on many people and that Kelleher’s violence was disproportionate to his grievances.

“No sentence this court imposes can undo those impacts. For the victim of your crime, there can be no sense of justice,” he said.

“There is no justification for what you did . You will have to live with it for the rest of your life and that will be painful, as it ought to be.”