A Queensland man who torched his girlfriend's home and "left her to burn" inside, has been found guilty of her murder.
WARNING: This story contains content that readers may find distressing.
In February 2020, Alexis Parkes died of organ failure, several days after she was rescued by fire crews from her burning house in Chermside, north of Brisbane.
Last week James Morton Mason, pleaded not guilty to the 50-year-old's murder.
Despite denying he intended to kill Ms Parkes, Mason did plead guilty to arson.
The 46-year-old admitted to deliberately lighting her car on fire, which was parked underneath the highset house, using mower fuel and a tea candle.
After a three-day trial held in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, it took a jury less than a day to return a unanimous verdict.
Throughout proceedings, the court heard Mason and Ms Parkes, who had been in a relationship for several months, became involved in a heated argument earlier in the night.
The court heard Mason had claimed Ms Parkes had become aggressive after taking medication and drinking, and began threatening him and his family, before kicking him out of the house.
There was accepted evidence, which was read to the court, that Ms Parkes had sent a series of text messages which said Mason had been violent to her.
A number of neighbours also gave evidence, telling the court they heard an altercation at the home, and described their desperate attempts to save Ms Parkes who was locked inside.
Audio and video recordings of a number of police interviews were played to the court, as well as a secretly taped conversation Mason had with an undercover operative in a watchhouse cell.
In all of the recordings Mason tells officers he wanted to destroy Ms Parkes car to "pay her back", but never intended to harm her.
Mason originally told police he had lit the fire and "just walked off", but once he was informed Ms Parkes had not survived her injuries, his version of events changed.
In his final police interview he claimed he tried to save her from the blaze, but demanded to see his lawyer, after being questioned about why no witnesses saw him at the scene.
'Left her to burn'
During closing addresses last week, Crown Prosecutor Mark Green told the court Mason had no intention to help Ms Parkes, instead he "left her to burn".
"He did not take any steps to put out the fire," he said.
"He lit that fire and just walked away."
Mr Green said it was clear by Mason moving his belongings to a vacant block before setting the fire that he had "thought this through".
"This isn't a spur of the moment action," he said.
His defence lawyer Simon Lewis told the court it was clear in the police recordings, particularly the covertly recorded one before Ms Parkes died, that Mason never wanted to hurt her.
"The [undercover police officer] says to him that 'it was lucky she didn't die'… and [Mason] says 'f**k yeah', he said.
"If his plan was to kill her and he does not know he is talking to a police officer… why would he say that?
"It is cast iron evidence of what in fact his intention wasn't."
'I need her just as much as I need air to breathe'
During sentencing Ms Parkes' son and daughter read emotional victim impact statements to the court.
Tyron Parkes told the court his mother was the "centrepiece" of their family and her death had "left a hole" in the hearts of many.
"The pain I feel is just as strong as the day she passed away," he said.
Mackayla Wright, who is expecting her first child, said she had an ache in her chest which "never goes away".
"A piece of me is missing," she said.
"I still feel so alone because I need my mum, I need her just as much as I need air to breathe."
Ms Wright said to Mason she wished she was "strong enough" to forgive him, but she could not.
"All I can do is feel sad, hurt and angry," she said.
"You've destroyed my family in ways that can't be repaired."
'You lit the fire out of spite'
When handing down a life sentence Justice David Jackson said the arson was "callous and deliberate".
"I find that you lit the fire out of spite and anger," he said.
Justice Jackson said he did not find Mason "actually intended to kill her" but would have been "aware of the extreme risks" of his actions, and proceeded.
"Ms Parkes experienced a terrifying ordeal … she died in a horrible way," he said.
Outside court, Ms Parkes' sister Belinda said she was happy with the verdict.
"It has been very hard on all of us this whole procedure," she said.
"But we can walk away happy today and ready to move on and have some sort of closure."
Ms Wright said it was a good result, but no jail term would "ever be enough".
"At the end of the day it doesn't matter how long he got, it'll never bring mum back," she said.
Mason will have to serve at least 20 years in jail before he will be eligible for parole.
