The man who shot and killed a Wellington grandfather in an attempted drug deal gone wrong will spend at least another five more years behind bars.
Key points:
- Aaron Hegedus, 33, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for the death of Frank Smith
- Mr Smith, 48, presented to Wellington hospital in 2020 with a gunshot wound to his stomach and died
- Judge Karen Robinson said Mr Smith's family had lost a loving grandfather
Aaron Hegedus, 33, appeared via audio-visual link in Dubbo District Court on Friday where he was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in jail for the death of Frank Smith on April 27, 2020.
Judge Karen Robinson said while Hegedus didn't intend to kill Mr Smith, his attempt to intimidate him was highly dangerous.
"No sentence will bring justice to the family," she said.
"In circumstances such as this, it's difficult to impose a sentence."
Hegedus was given a non-parole period of seven years, backdated to his arrest, making him eligible for release in 2028.
Banned from buying drugs
The court heard Hegedus and his 56-year-old partner Leanne Rachel Stewart had sold prohibited drugs from their Reid Street home in Wellington, but banned Mr Smith just days prior to his death after a falling out.
It heard Hegedus had purchased a rifle from an associate several weeks earlier and stored it at his house as he believed Mr Smith and others were trying to stand over him.
The court heard the gun had been stolen from a property in Bathurst in 2015.
CCTV captured Mr Smith attending the Reid Street property about 9am the morning he died.
The court heard and argument broke out before Hegedus, using the .22 Ruger rifle to intimidate Mr Smith, fatally shot him in the abdomen, causing severe damage to his liver.
Mr Smith stumbled into the front yard of a Thornton Street property, before he was taken to Wellington hospital by witnesses and later died.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage captured Hegedus driving toward Geurie minutes later where he gave the gun to an associate to "take care of it", who washed it with soapy water and wrapped it in garbage bags.
Police initially interviewed Hegedus in April 2020, who denied any interaction with Mr Smith, claiming he was asleep in bed.
However Hegedus was arrested and initially charged with murder in October 2021, after an 18-month investigation.
The charge was later downgraded to manslaughter, to which Hegedus pleaded guilty.
Judge Robinson said Hegedus had adverse experiences which had left a mark on him.
The court heard he had been abandoned by his mother at the age of three and left in the care of his violent and alcoholic father.
By the age of seven he had began drinking alcohol, and was a daily user of ice by the age of 17.
Hegedus described his grandmother as the only stable relationship he had during his childhood, and at the age of 18 was sent on a downward spiral when she died.
'Kind, helpful' man
Mr Smith's family delivered emotional victim impact statements to the court last month.
Mr Smith's daughters described Hegedus as a gutless coward and monster who took away a kind, helpful man who was always willing to help.
Nycole Robbins said her baby sister's voice telling her their stepfather had died was something that "sticks with her".
"No matter the outcome, no amount of time you spend in jail will ever be good enough," she said.
"We have a life sentence."
Linda Rose Morris said the day her father was shot was the day her "world shattered into a thousand pieces".
"When you killed my father all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die," she said.
"I didn't want to see anyone, I shut myself away in my house trying to come to terms with what you caused.
"To this day I still haven't come to terms with what you've done."
She said Hegedus stole all the milestones her daughter would have shared with her grandfather.
"Her first day of preschool, making friends, preschool graduation. Not only that but all the milestones that will happen throughout school, and achievements throughout her life … growing up into a young lady, you stole it all," she said.
Stewart was sentenced by the District Court earlier this month after pleading guilty to concealing Mr Smith's death.
She was sentenced to 11 months in jail with a non-parole period of six months. She will be eligible for parole in September next year.