Couple accused of hacking a rapper to death with a samurai sword after ‘he robbed them at gunpoint’ await their fate as jury retires
- Actor Blake Davis, 31, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jett McKee in 2018
- He’s accused of murdering the fleeing home intruder with samurai sword
- His girlfriend Hannah Quinn, 26, denies being an accessory after the fact
- Jury retired on Monday to deliberate whether Davis acted in self-defence
A jury has retired to deliberate the fate of a Sydney actor accused of murdering a fleeing home intruder with a samurai sword.
Blake Davis, 31, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jett McKee who he struck in the head with the sword after the ice-fuelled intruder fled the Forest Lodge unit on August 10, 2018.
His girlfriend, Hannah Quinn, 26, denies being an accessory after the fact to murder or manslaughter.
The judge previously directed the jury to acquit Quinn of murder, a charge which had been laid based on being part of a joint criminal enterprise with her boyfriend.
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Prosecutor Chris Taylor described the samurai attack as senseless, unnecessary and unlawful.
Blake Davis and Hannah Quinn arrived at NSW Supreme Court on Monday holding hands before the jury retired to consider their verdict after a six week trial
He contended Davis had not been acting in self-defence or defence of Quinn, noting they had chased Mr McKee about 80 metres down the street.
But, in submitting Quinn was not guilty, barrister Tom Hughes repeated Davis’s evidence about his belief the intruder had shot him and on hearing his girlfriend screaming, believed her life was in danger when he struck Mr McKee.
Mr Hughes said Davis stepped between his girlfriend and the intruder, which ‘took real courage, not movie courage, not Jackie Chan courage’.
‘You had stepped between your girlfriend and a gun,’ he said.
Jett McKee (pictured above) died after he was allegedly attacked with a samurai sword in 2018
The court heard Davis used a samurai sword on display in his home to deal a fatal blow to Mr McKee before wrapping it in some plastic near his unit
The Crown says no witnesses saw Mr McKee pointing a gun up at Quinn, which she told police happened.
But Quinn’s barrister Margaret Cunneen SC said Quinn spoke of the black gun being in a black-gloved hand, which would have been very difficult for people to see.
She said Davis had not been trained in the use of the samurai sword, which was a legal weapon and a prized gift from his brother on his 18th birthday.
Justice Natalie Adams summed up the case on Monday in the NSW Supreme Court before the jury retired.
The crime scene after Mr McKee’s death on the streets of Forest Lodge pictured above
Blake Davis (left) has pleaded not guilty to murder while his girlfriend, Hannah Quinn (right) denies being an accessory after the fact to murder or manslaughter. They’re pictured arriving at NSW Supreme Court on Monday
While it is an accepted fact that Davis killed Mr McKee, Justice Adams said the jury must determine if Davis acted in self-defence.
‘It is not for Mr Davis to prove he acted in self-defence, it is a matter for the Crown to prove he wasn’t,’ Justice Adams said.
The jury is down to 11 with one juror dismissed after being hospitalised after a fall.
