The stepbrother of banned NRL star Bronson Xerri has been labelled a cowardly killer by the family of a mother of three who was “slaughtered” in a horror head-on crash.
Troy Anthony Xerri was speeding when he lost control of a Toyota Hilux, crossed onto the wrong side of the road and crashed into 63-year-old Jo Duke’s Mazda hatchback at Eastwood in Sydney’s northwest on November 13, 2019.
A long standing employee and volunteer at Macquarie Hospital, Mrs Duke dedicated much of her life helping patients with mental illness.
Her heartbroken family members spoke publicly about the crash for the first time on Friday at Xerri’s sentencing hearing in the NSW District Court.
They slammed Xerri for failing to offer assistance to their wife and mother immediately after the collision.
Zach Duke told the court a high school student passing by the crash site broke into the wrecked Mazda to hold his mother’s hand as she took her last breaths, while Xerri sat nearby and did “absolutely nothing”.
“My mum was fighting for her life for approximately 39 minutes before she succumbed to the many horrific injuries, trapped in her car,” he said.
“Not to do anything to help was a cowardly act. You’re a coward.”
Mr Duke said when he visited the crash site it looked “more like a bomb scene”.
“There was debris everywhere, it was horrifying.
“Mum’s car was completely unrecognisable … the tow truck driver described it as the worst impact he had ever seen in his 12 years in tow truck driving.
“All I can remember is smelling death.”
The court heard memories of Mrs Duke’s body at the morgue still haunted Mr Duke.
“There was mum’s body lying flat on the glorified metal stretcher with only her disfigured space exposed and a medical tube hanging out of her mouth,” Mr Duke said.
“It felt like I had been winded … I began shaking uncontrollably, I couldn’t breathe.
“To see my mum in that state just pierced my heart and it’s an image I just can’t get out of my head.”
After pleading guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death and furious driving, Xerri faced a Judge-alone trial last year and he was acquitted of a more serious aggravated dangerous driving causing death charge.
Prosecutors had alleged Xerri was travelling in excess of 105km/h in a 60km/h zone on Blaxland Road before the crash. He claimed he was driving at about 80km/h.
Mr Duke told the court Xerri, who he referred to repeatedly as a “killer”, showed no remorse during the court proceedings.
“The killer and certain members of his family and other supporters also smirked and uttered comments to us throughout the entire suite of court proceedings,” Mr Duke said.
“I’ve also been confronted by a member of his family, which was very distressing.”
Mrs Duke’s husband Mickxjmtzyw told the court his wife had been “mercilessly slaughtered”.
“This was no motor vehicle accident, it was human slaughter,” he said.
“(Xerri) is a coward for not giving an initial statement to police regardless of legal protection.
“He did not attempt to help Jo or others in any way after the destruction he caused.”
The hearing continues.
Xerri’s brother, former Cronulla Sharks centre Bronson Xerri, has been banned from playing NRL until 2024 after a positive test result indicated use of performance enhancing substances including testosterone.
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