Jury Finds Bar Boss Murder Suspect Guilty
A jury has found a bar manager guilty of murdering his multi-millionaire boss in his home and dumping his body somewhere.
Cameron Mansell, 39, manager of the Basement On Broadway co-owned by Craig Puddy, 46, faces life imprisonment in sentencing scheduled Tuesday.
The jury took almost two days to decide on the verdict. The trial lasted eight weeks.
Puddy's family welcomed the verdict but his father, Laurie Puddy, said it will not bring closure to the case because his son's body remains missing.
Puddy has been missing since May 3. Mansell admitted he was at his boss' home on the night the latter went missing but claimed he did not kill him.
State prosecutor Bruno Fiannaca accused Mansell of killing Puddy with a blow to the head when the latter found him stealing money from the bar safe. Mansell then put Puddy's body in a wheelie bin and dumped it in an unknown location.
Mansell's attorney, Anthony Eyers, said his client saw three men attack Puddy at his Mt. Pleasant home over a drug debt and he fled the state and stayed in Townsville, Queensland with his aunt and uncle.