A man who murdered his longtime friend and buried his dismembered body in a freezer hidden beneath a backyard has learnt his fate.

A man who murdered his longtime friend, buried his dismembered body in a freezer and spent weeks pretending the victim was still alive has been sentenced to life behind bars.

Bobby Andrew Weaver, 31, received a mandatory life sentence for the murder of David Thornton, 58, when he appeared in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday.

The packed courtroom included members of Mr Thornton’s family, who have waited more than seven years for the case to end.

Weaver, who grew up on the same street as Mr Thornton in the Ipswich suburb of Goodna and was considered a longtime family friend, pleaded guilty to murder earlier this year.

Bobby Andrew Weaver was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of longtime friend David Thornton. Picture: Cordell Richardson.
Justice Paul Smith said the killing was a calculated betrayal.

“This is a case where it can clearly be determined you murdered a friend in cold blood,” Justice Smith said.

“The man was in a vulnerable position.”

Mr Thornton, a former high school maths teacher, was last seen alive on January 25, 2019, after attending a solicitor’s office carrying $15,000 in cash related to a property settlement. The solicitor declined to accept the cash and Mr Thornton left with the money.

He was later reported missing by a friend on March 12.

Weeks later, police uncovered a grim scene at Mr Thornton’s Goodna property. A chest freezer buried in the backyard contained his decomposing body.

An autopsy found he had been shot twice in the head with a .22 calibre firearm. His legs had been severed below the knees so his body could fit inside the freezer.

Mr Thornton’s body was found inside a chest freezer buried in the backyard of his Goodna home in April 2019. Picture: NewsWire Handout
Justice Smith described Weaver’s actions after the murder as a prolonged campaign of deception.

“There was a protracted and highly manipulative campaign to deceive family, friends and neighbours,” he said.

The court was told Weaver repeatedly used Mr Thornton’s Facebook account and mobile phone after his death, sending messages to family members claiming he was “off grid” and holidaying in Western Australia.

The deception delayed concerns about Mr Thornton’s disappearance and prolonged the family’s uncertainty.

Police eventually became suspicious after Mr Thornton’s former wife attended the property and noticed blood staining inside the home.

When police began investigating, Weaver falsely claimed he had been communicating with Mr Thornton and insisted a buried freezer in the backyard contained spoiled food.

He even helped dig up one freezer to support his story.

However, witnesses told police two freezers had been buried on the property. After a second freezer was excavated, officers discovered Mr Thornton’s remains along with the saw used to dismember the body.

Police also found a “sludge” beneath the house containing blood, bodily fluids and tissue linked to Mr Thornton’s dismemberment.

Police uncovered Mr Thornton’s remains after witnesses reported two freezers had been buried in the backyard.
Justice Smith said Weaver repeatedly lied to investigators as evidence mounted against him.

“It was an overwhelming case,” he said.

Police later found Mr Thornton’s driver’s licence, financial cards, disability parking permit and thousands of dollars in cash in Weaver’s possession.

The court was told Weaver sold three of Mr Thornton’s vehicles for about $2700, gave away one of his motorcycles and spent thousands of dollars on personal purchases while falsely claiming the money came from an investment.

In one of the more disturbing details outlined during sentencing, Weaver used Mr Thornton’s Facebook account to contact the his former partner and ask her to check on Weaver because he was “struggling”.

She attended Weaver’s home and the pair later had sex.

Justice Smith said the motive appeared to be financial gain.

The court was also told that while in prison, Weaver attempted to recruit another inmate to help support a fabricated version of events and encouraged a plan to kill one of Mr Thornton’s daughters and stage it as a suicide.

The inmate later provided police with handwritten notes from Weaver detailing the scheme.

The court was told Weaver sold vehicles belonging to Mr Thornton and spent thousands of dollars after the killing.
Justice Smith said the treatment of Mr Thornton’s body after death compounded the seriousness of the crime.

“The treatment of the body is disgraceful,” he said.

“It was premeditated. He was shot in the head twice.”

Family members described the devastating impact of the murder in a victim impact statement read to the court.

“There has been seven years of waiting,” Mr Thornton’s daughter wrote.

“Seven years of nightmares.”

“We didn’t just lose Dad when he was taken … we lost parts of ourselves.”

Justice Smith said he had carefully considered the family’s statement.

“It’s had a profound effect, this crime, on many people,” he said.

While acknowledging Weaver’s guilty plea and lack of significant criminal history, the judge said it was difficult to accept his claimed remorse given the years of deception that followed the killing.

Justice Smith sentenced Weaver to life imprisonment, declaring the 2631 days he has spent in custody since his April 2019 arrest as time already served.

He will be eligible to apply for parole in 2039.