Caves Beach double murder inquest searching for information

Owen Keeley was the first witness called at a coronial inquest into the murders of “small time” drug dealer Robert Pashkuss, 51, and his partner Stacey McMaugh, 41, bludgeoned to death inside their Macquarie Grove home sometime between 10.10pm on January 5, 2008 and 11am the following day.

The inquest has previously heard Mr Pashkuss’ murder is more than likely to have been related to his drug dealing activities, while his partner, a lauded community volunteer, was a “completely innocent bystander”, who may have been murdered because she could identify the killers.  

Under questioning from counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer, Mr Keeley said the last time he had seen Mr Pashkuss was on the Wednesday before he was killed when Mr Keeley purchased an ounce of cannabis off him for another man.

"That's where my story stops right there,” Mr Keeley said. “I didn’t go south of Windale from then [until after the murders].”

But Ms Dwyer said an analysis of Mr Keeley’s phone records on the day of the murders showed he had been near Caves Beach. 

“It bounced off a cell tower around there,” Ms Dwyer said. “Have you got any explanation for that?”

“That’s f---ing bull----, mate,” an irate Mr Keeley said. "They were my friends. 

"I didn't kill no one. I'm not a killer. I didn't join that club. I didn't wake up with an ambition to go to jail and destroy lives and my life at the same time. I like life, you know what I mean. I like my freedom."

Mr Keeley also disagreed with Ms Dwyer’s classification of Mr Pashkuss as a “small time” dealer. 

“You don’t go out there with $20 to see him, put it that way,” he said. “You went out there with $1000 or $300.”

Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon indicated he had recommended the $100,000 reward for information on the murders be doubled. The inquest continues.