A man serving two life sentences for the grisly double murder of his wife and stepdaughter in rural Queensland has failed in his bid for freedom.
Rodney Michael Cherry is serving two life sentences for killing his stepdaughter Kira Guise in the late 1990s, just two years after plotting the fatal shooting of his ex-wife Annette when she discovered he was sexually abusing the 18-year-old.
Kira’s remains have never been found.
Despite this, Cherry applied for parole almost two decades after being sent to jail for the heinous act, maintaining his innocence throughout hearings last year.
On Tuesday, the Parole Board of Queensland (PBQ) resoundingly rejected his application.
“The board formed the view that the applicant has not provided any information assessed to be reliable, truthful, complete and relevant to assist police in identifying the victim’s location,” the board’s published judgment states.
It followed several bizarre hearings in 2022 when Cherry claimed he was in a “kangaroo trial” and “countless” lies had been told at his initial trial in the early 2000s.
“It is open to the board to accept that the applicant has a real capacity to give co-operation over and above making assertions that he was not involved in the murder,” the board’s judgment states.
In 1997 in Roma, Cherry handed his stepdaughter Deborah Guise a pistol and ordered her to kill her mother, as she had reported him to police for having a sexual relationship with Kira.
Two years later he murdered Kira, believing she knew of his part in her mother’s death.
In 2002, Cherry was found guilty of both murders, receiving two life sentences with a mandatory minimum parole period of 20 years.
Deborah was convicted of Annette’s manslaughter and later perjury after giving false testimony during two Supreme Court trials.
She was sentenced to four years‘ jail, which was wholly suspended for perjury, and six years’ jail for manslaughter.
Kira’s remains have never been found and Cherry has continued to maintain his innocence over her death.
Under Queensland law, Cherry is considered a no body, no parole prisoner.
Because of this, he cannot be granted parole unless the parole board is satisfied he has co-operated satisfactorily in locating the victim’s body.
In his application, Cherry claimed Kira had been seen twice in central Queensland between 1999 and 2000.
During last year’s hearings, Cherry claimed he had received a letter – now “missing” – from his stepdaughter before his final arrest in which she said she had been recognised by two people at a sailing club in Yeppoon.
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“(He) adamantly denies knowing whether the victim is dead. If she is dead, he submits that he does not know where her body is,” the judgment states.
The PBQ stated the letter itself had never been produced and its existence was never raised at his trial or first appeal in 2004.
The board rejected Cherry’s application, ultimately finding he had not given satisfactory co-operation to find Kira’s remains.
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