174. Meth, Murder, and Mystery in South Fremantle

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
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(00:24):
Join us as we unravel mysteries, explore motives, and seek
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Speaker 2 (00:40):
Hello and welcome to Reverie True Crime. I'm your host page.
It was a quiet night in South Fremantle, Western Australia,
a night that should have been like any other, but
for twenty four year old David John Houston as the

(01:00):
night his life would come to a brutal and senseless end.
David was a father to be who had his whole
life ahead of him. He had dreams, responsibilities, and a
future he was looking forward to. But instead of preparing
for the birth of his baby, he found himself trapped

(01:21):
in a deadly situation, one fueled by drugs, violence, and
an unthinkable level of cruelty. The crime was shocking. The
details are even more disturbing, A group of young adults
high on drugs made decisions that would forever change lives,

(01:44):
including their own. And at the center of it all
was David Houston, caught in the worst kind of nightmare.
How did an innocent man become the target of such
brutal violence, Who were the peace people responsible and what
drove them to commit such a heinous crime. This is

(02:08):
the story of David John Houston. David John Houston wasn't
just another name in a tragic news story. He was
a real person with dreams, responsibilities and people who loved him.
David was twenty four years old living in Fremantle, a

(02:30):
coastal suburb of Perth in western Australia. The area is
known for its relaxed atmosphere, entertainment with cafes, bars, and
a strong sense of community. For David, it was home.
He wasn't perfect, no one is, but he was trying

(02:52):
trying to build a stable life, trying to be a
good partner, who was preparing to be a good father
because at the time of his death, David was expecting
his first child. His girlfriend Kelly Ingham, was pregnant and
from all accounts, he was so excited about their future.

(03:15):
He had struggles like anyone else, but he had people
who truly cared about him, family, friends, and a growing
sense of responsibility. He had a life worth living, but
all of that would be cut short in the most
horrific way imaginable. David was last seen at his Hilton

(03:40):
home shortly after being dropped off by a taxi around
six point fifty pm on May eleventh, twenty twelve. To
understand how a knight of chaos and violence unfolded, we
need to take a closer look at the three people
responsible for David he Euston's death, Jonathan Robert Lee, Sam

(04:04):
Jacob Walker and Amanda Jane Kelly. At first glance, they
weren't the type you'd expect to be involved in such brutality,
but in actuality, their lives were spiraling, fueled by drugs, impulsivity,
and a dangerous disregard for consequences. Jonathan Robert Lee was

(04:29):
twenty three years old and from East Victoria Park. He
had a history of drug use and was high on
amphetamines in marijuana the night that David lost his life.
He was volatile, unpredictable, and completely out of touch with reality.
Twenty seven year old Sam Jacob Walker was just as intoxicated.

(04:55):
The mix of drugs and alcohol blurred any sense of morality,
turning a petty dispute into something much worse. Then there
was Amanda Jane Kelly, only nineteen years old from Victoria Park,
who was swept into a world of crime and addiction.

(05:18):
But she wasn't just a bystander. She played an active
role that night, and her actions would land her in
prison for years. She and Jonathan were also in a
very toxic relationship. Together, these three created a perfect storm

(05:38):
of destruction that David never saw coming. Saturday May twelfth,
twenty twelve, David arrived at Sam's house where he would
lose his life somewhere between three pm and ten pm.
Jonathan Robert Lee, and Amanda Jane Kelly were also at

(06:00):
Sam's home. The three were in a haze from all
the amphetamines and alcohol they had consumed. David came over
to give Sam and his friends crystal meth and other drugs.
At some point in the night, Sam suddenly told Amanda,
out of the blue that he was going to kill David.

(06:24):
We'll get into more details about that night, but for
right now, In short, they attacked him viciously, punching, kicking, stomping.
The assault was relentless. David begged for his life, but
his pleas went ignored. As David lay helpless, Sam wrapped

(06:48):
a ligature around his neck, strangling him. By the time
they were done, his injuries were catastrophic. His body was
left batter, bruised, and lifeless. When the violence ended, they
wrapped his body up in a barbecue cover, while Sam

(07:09):
rented a utility vehicle and buried David in the outer
suburbs of Perth. But justice was coming and it wouldn't
take long for the entire truth to come out. Now
David was missing, but officers soon received tips that led
them to arrest Amanda and Jonathan. On May thirtieth, it

(07:33):
was reported that authorities were on the hunt for Sam Walker.
Jonathan and Amanda had been apprehended and charged with murder,
but they were looking for information about where Sam could be.
At this time, David Houston's body was still missing. Authorities

(07:53):
working on the case wouldn't say why they suspected he
had been murdered or what the possible mean motive was.
Police did say that David and Sam knew each other,
but they weren't sure yet if David knew Jonathan or Amanda.
Magistrate Barbara Lane ordered a seven day psychiatric assessment for

(08:16):
Amanda and Perth Magistrate's Court, who was crying as she
was taken out of court by police. The court was
told that she had been to psychiatric facilities in the
past and suffered from anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder.

(08:36):
She tried to take her own life a few times
in the past and had several drug overdoses. Jonathan also
appeared in court the same day. They remained in custody
and were set to appear in Sterling Garden Magistrate's Court
on June twenty seventh. Detective Superintendent Dave Bryson had information

(09:01):
that pointed to Sam Walker being at the home when
the suspected murder happened. After all, it was Sam's house.
He was curious to hear his side of what happened.
Detective Bryson told news outlets quote, mister Walker was there
at the time. Obviously he has a story to tell us.

(09:24):
We're very keen to hear what his story is. Mister Walker.
If you're watching the news, please contact the police contact
your father and come in and speak to us, or
if you wish, get yourself a lawyer and come in
because we will catch up with you. End quote. Police

(09:48):
had reason to believe that David's life had been taken
on May twelfth, inside Sam's home on Parmelia Street, South Fremantle.
May eleven was the last day he had been seen alive.
Forensic officers were rummaging through the house looking for any

(10:08):
clues that would lead to David's body. They had also
investigated a house on Gerard Street in East Victoria Park.
Police reportedly said that it was also another scene of
the crime. For about two weeks, David's family hoped and
prayed that he would be found alive and well. When

(10:32):
the news broke of his suspected murder, it put them
into a state of shock. Major crime detectives finally found
an arrested Sam Walker on Solomon Street in Fremantle and
charged him with murder on Friday, June first, twenty twelve.
They also investigated the house where he was staying. It

(10:55):
was also reported that Sam actually approached authorities while they
were investigating his home, and that's when he was arrested.
Later that day, he gave a detailed statement on what
happened at his house on May twelfth. Sam's lawyer claimed
that after buying crystal meth from David, Sam started believing

(11:19):
that David was going to harm Kelly and their unborn baby.
He said David was talking with a bad attitude about Kelly,
which led him to think he was going to abuse
her or worse. Sam's lawyer, Linda Black stated, quote in
his head, he's reached a point where he believed the

(11:42):
only way to save Kelly Ingham and to save her
baby was to take the life of mister Houston. End quote.
Sam had been longtime friends with Kelly and quote very
fond of her, but he had only known David for
a few weeks through drug connections. By the next day,

(12:05):
it was reported that police found what was suspected to
be David's remains in a shallow grave in the outer
suburbs of Perth, which they were going to be exhuming.
He was found with four pieces of material around his
neck and major trauma to his whole body, including his face.

(12:28):
They found the burial ground through a utility vehicle's GPS
one they rented that night to dispose of David's body.
A spokesperson for the police said, quote, At this time
there has been no formal identification made and a post
mortem examination will be conducted as soon as possible end quote.

(12:54):
On June third, Sam appeared in East Perth Magistrate's Court
via video from Haikiah Prison, but it was very brief
due to a security threat, which led to the hearing
being adjourned. Magistrate Richard Bromfield wasn't going to adjourn the

(13:14):
hearing at first, but he was forced to when the
court orderlies would not bring prisoners to the dock until
the security threat was investigated. Sam was ordered to appear
back in court on June twenty seventh. Jonathan Robert Lee
entered a guilty plea admitting to killing David. As reported

(13:37):
on August twenty ninth, the case would be adjourned until
December while a pre sentenced report was being prepared. Sam
and Amanda did not enter please and were to appear
in court again in October. The level of violence shocked
even longtime investigators. It was clear this wasn't just a

(14:02):
dispute gone wrong. This was overkilled, a frenzied, drug fueled
attack with no justification. When the arrests were made, none
of them had a reasonable explanation for what they'd done.
There was no motive that made sense, just senseless, horrific

(14:26):
violence caused by what the judge described as drug induced psychosis.
Jonathan wrote a letter to the judge that said he
constantly asked himself how he could have possibly done what
he did. He said he will never know why he
did it. Sam's lawyer said that he believed in his

(14:50):
mind that he was protecting David's pregnant girlfriend, Kelly. He
and Jonathan both had criminal records, but Sam had no
history of violence at all. He came from a very
supportive family and his parents were respected by so many people. Yes,

(15:10):
he struggled with drug use, but what he did was
totally out of character. He had been dealing with his demons,
struggling with drug use for years, after showing signs of
eighty h D as a six year old, Sam's lawyer
said about his childhood quote, Sam seemed to have less

(15:32):
impulse control than most people. End quote. For David Houston's
loved ones, the nightmare was just beginning. Kelly was left
to grieve alone, knowing their child would never meet their father.
The sheer cruelty of it all was overwhelming. The prosecutor

(15:55):
stated in court that David's family said his quote cruel
death had wrought total emotional destruction of their lives. Prosecutor
McTaggart said, quote, it was violence for violent sake, and
violence of a very horrific kind. A post mortem examination

(16:17):
found that the cause of David's death was ultimately neck compression.
David's mother was urged not to look at her son's
body because of how badly he had been disfigured. So
let's get into the extent of what happened that night.
This is your warning to skip a minute or two

(16:39):
a head if necessary. Sam admitted that after he told
Amanda he was going to kill David, he put a
white shoelace around her neck and asked her do you
think this will work? But he ended up grabbing a cord.
Shortly after, while Amanda and Jonathan were in the bathroom

(17:00):
having sex in the shower, and he began to attack David.
Amanda and Jonathan heard awful noises and came running into
the room naked to see David being strangled by Sam.
Instead of stopping him, when Sam told him to help.

(17:20):
Jonathan joined in, hitting and kicking David in the face
and head over and over, to the point that David's
eye popped out of its socket. As Sam didn't let
up on the ligature around David's neck. At that point,
they all thought David was dead. Jonathan and Sam put

(17:42):
his body in the shower and turned on the water. Suddenly,
David gasped loudly, beginning to regain some consciousness. The two
young men began attacking David yet again, with Jonathan kicking
him in the chest. The prosecutor said that is where

(18:03):
David ultimately died. Afterwards, they hired a utility vehicle to
carry David's body off. After wrapping him up in a
barbecue cover, they covered his body with acid, lime, and
cement before they buried him in a shallow grave. At first,

(18:25):
Amanda's role in all of this had not come to light.
The trial for David Houston's murder was never going to
be a simple one. Just the brutality of the crime,
the drug fueled nature of the attack, and the lack
of clear motive made it difficult to comprehend. Jonathan, Sam

(18:49):
and Amanda all faced serious charges from the beginning. It
was clear that the prosecution was not going to let
them walk away way with anything less than the maximum
punishment possible. Amanda tried to downplay her role and never
pleaded guilty. In the beginning, Jonathan Lee and Sam Walker

(19:14):
pleaded guilty, acknowledging their roles in David's death. The sentencing, however,
became a controversial issue. Initially, they received a life sentence
with a minimum of twelve years, but public outrage and
an appeal later increased that to a minimum of twenty

(19:34):
one years. Justice Heenan statedote no more frightening example of
the dangerous, explosive violence associated with serious drug abuse and
its fatal and shattering consequences can be imagined. What more
can possibly be said to bring home to people the

(19:56):
irretrievable destruction, grief, and horror which looms over this form
of lifestyle end quote. Linda Black, Sam's attorney said that
to cope with all the guilt, he created another personality
that he named Sniper. For David's loved ones, no sentence

(20:19):
would ever be enough. His child would grow up without
a father, and the scars left behind by that night
would never truly heal. Nothing could undo what had been done.
His life had been stolen in the most brutal way imaginable,
and nothing, no courtroom ruling, no judge's decision, could bring

(20:44):
him back. His girlfriend, Kelly, who had their baby girl
sometime before the December nineteenth sentencing, was left to raise
their child alone, carrying the weight of knowing their little
girl would never meet her father. She spoke of her
devastation of how David had been looking forward to becoming

(21:07):
a dad, now that future had been taken from them.
Instead of preparing for a new chapter in their life,
she was forced to grieve the man she loved, trying
to make sense of a loss that would never make
sense beyond the family. The case shook the Fremantle community.

(21:29):
The brutality of David's murder forced people to face the
gloomy underbelly of drug fueled violence. It wasn't just a
tragic crime, It was a wake up call. What had
happened to David could have happened to anyone, even in prison.

(21:50):
The consequences of that night were not over. Appeals were filed,
sentences were debated, and the legal system continued to go
back and forth with the punishment these three deserved In
the end, the court's decision to increase Jonathan and Sam's
minimum sentences to twenty one years sent a clear message

(22:14):
justice would not and should not be lenient. But for
everyone who loved David, justice could never truly be served.
The people responsible for his death would one day walk free.
David never got that chance. His loved ones will carry

(22:36):
that pain for the rest of their lives. David's murder
was a terrifying example of how fast violence conspiral beyond
any control. A young father to be full of life
was viciously taken from the world for no reason other

(22:58):
than the senseless drug fueled rage of three people who
showed no regard for human life. Kelly had to navigate
her life as a single mom, raising a child who
would only know their father through stories and photographs. David's
family was left with a void that could never be filled,

(23:20):
forced to relive the nightmare every time his name was
mentioned in court. It wasn't until late January of twenty
thirteen that Amanda pleaded guilty to taking part in David's killing.
She was supposed to be sentenced on April fifth, twenty thirteen,
but during that time is when Sam and Jonathan's appeals

(23:44):
were being fought and the prosecution was seeking an increase
in their minimum sentences. So as all of that was happening,
the judge ruled to push Amanda's sentencing date forward until
there had been a decision in the Court of Appeal
for Sam and Jonathan. Amanda's attorney argued that she deserved

(24:07):
a lesser sentence than life imprisonment, stating, quote, she is
in a manifestly different category from them end quote. The
constant biting of appeals would stretch into October of twenty thirteen,
when prosecutors finally won their appeal, which pushed Sam and

(24:30):
Jonathan's minimum sentence before parole eligibility to twenty one years.
Appeal Court President Carmel McClure said in the judgment quote,
the circumstances of the offending place it at the high
end of the scale of seriousness of the offense of murder.

(24:51):
The killing of the deceased was intentional, unprovoked, ferocious and sustained,
and merciless in its execution. It is further aggravated by
the fact that the offense was committed in company against
a defenseless, unsuspecting victim and deliberate steps were taken to

(25:13):
conceal the crime. Sam Walker's premeditation and the manner in
which he disfigured and disposed of the body is also
aggravating end quote. The next month, Amanda would go to
court to be sentenced. Her defense team told the court
that she had quote walked into a situation that she

(25:36):
did not create and didn't play a huge role in
the crime. She admitted to assisting in the strangulation before
helping her boyfriend and Sam Carrie David's body. The court
heard that when Amanda and Jonathan were in the shower
together and heard the screams, she ran into the kitchen naked,

(26:00):
joining in on the strangling, pulling at Sam's waist for
allegedly twenty to thirty seconds to give Sam leverage to
pull the ligature tighter. Before she started to beg and
scream for them to make it all stop. She ran
to the bathroom and vomited. Amanda later helped them carry

(26:23):
his body and put it inside of the utility vehicle. However,
she never attempted to help David or call the cops.
The judge said, quote, you did not disassociate yourself from
this gross violence end quote. The judge talked about how yes,

(26:45):
Amanda's upbringing had been sad and difficult. She had been
using drugs since she was only twelve years old. From
that point, she would also self harm by cutting, battle depression, anxiety,
borderline personality disorder, and get lost in her thoughts about

(27:06):
death and suicide. Amanda was also said to have a
dependent personality and became abnormally infatuated with her boyfriend Jonathan,
who was described as manipulative, domineering, and violent. The two
happened to meet by chance on a train in twenty

(27:27):
twelve when Amanda moved to the area to receive treatment
at the Alma Street Clinic. From that moment on, she
and Jonathan were connected at the hip, and she would
do anything he asked or demanded. Her sister, Alicia, eventually
said that Amanda had never used a lot of hard

(27:50):
drugs before, not close to the amount she had the
night of David's murder. She believes her sister was trying
to keep up with Jonathan that night, who was used
to taking speed and a lot of it. Jonathan wrote
to the court on behalf of Amanda, saying she actually

(28:12):
did want to go to the police over what happened,
but was told not to. He said that he and
Sam put her through hell with guilt trips, manipulation, and
severe threats. Jonathan would also constantly try to contact Amanda
while in prison, but she refused to respond to him.

(28:36):
Amanda was finally sentenced in December, a day before her
twenty first birthday, to life in prison with a fourteen
year minimum before she would be eligible for parole. Her
first eligible release date will be sometime in twenty twenty six.
Amanda's sister said quote, I know she prays for me,

(29:00):
mister Houston, every day. She regrets the night and what happened,
and that David won't be with his family end quote.
Also at Amanda's sentencing, victim impact statements were read. Kelly's
was read and explained by Justice Michael Corby, who said

(29:22):
quote she cannot sleep or eat and cannot leave her
house out of fear. She no longer trusts people and
suffers from panic attacks. She has nightmares, has received counseling,
and takes antidepressants. Her anxiety and fear contributed to a

(29:43):
difficult pregnancy, which she was forced to endure without the
deceased She had been hospitalized as a result of her symptoms.
She finds it incomprehensible that a young woman would be
involved in such a sh shocking crime end quote. David's mother,

(30:04):
Nadine Delica's statement was read by the judge saying, quote,
the deceased was her eldest child and fulfilled a father
role in the family, as Miss Delica was a single
parent for several years. She is frightened and feels unsafe.
She worries about her daughters. She refers to the pain

(30:27):
that everyone in David's family has felt and the loss
that they have all suffered. It is a loss that
will never be overcome. In March of twenty fifteen, Jonathan
Lee got himself into more trouble, committing a brutal jailhouse
assault on another inmate named Julio Caesar Gonzales in Haikia Prison.

(30:54):
Jonathan used a knife which she had made to stab
and slash Julio and numerous times. Jonathan believed he was
a snitch and decided to attack him outside of the
education block. Perth's District Court was told that after attacking
Julio Gonzalez, Jonathan whipped out a shive and began rapidly

(31:19):
stabbing Julio on both sides of his face, slashing him
across the left arm, stabbing his left hip area, and
slashing him across the chest. The final injury was delivered
to Julio's temple before Jonathan walked away and hid the
knife under a treadmill in the prison gym. Judge Richard

(31:44):
keene said Jonathan had been going cold turkey from his
addiction to drugs at the time of the vicious prison assault,
but he also wanted to send a message to Julio
Gonzalez and other inmates about snitching. Judge Keenan said, quote,
Julio thought he was going to be killed. He thought

(32:06):
he was going to bleed to death. End quote. Jonathan
received three and a half more years to serve concurrently
with the homicide sentence. He will be eligible for parole
in twenty thirty three. In twenty sixteen, it was reported
that Jonathan confessed to another drug fueled killing, but it

(32:31):
wasn't very believable due to other evidence in the case.
He claimed he inflicted injuries on Gary Vsonic. Gary was
found in twenty eleven, a year before David's murder in
Bentley Park. Gary had facial fractures, serious head injuries, slashes

(32:52):
to his stomach, hand and forehead, and twelve percent of
his body had been severely burned from boys fluid. Doctors
also found Gary's liver was failing and at least one
cigarette butt had been pushed inside of his mouth. Jonathan's
so called admission came during an appeal by the four

(33:15):
men from Sydney who were convicted of the torture of Gary.
Brothers Cyril and surge mansur Andy Manna and Naraj Singh,
said to have been carried out over a debt that
was due for drugs. But the West Australian Court of
Appeal rejected Jonathan's claims as quote inherently implausible, saying that

(33:41):
he was not a credible witness and his evidence quote
was neither compelling nor plausible. Jonathan told the appeal court
that he had quote wanted to come clean for some
time about his part in Gary's death. He claimed he
had gone to the house where Gary was with an

(34:03):
acquaintance to steal his drugs, saying he punched him, hit
him with an axe and then poured boiling water all
over him. Afterwards disposing of the victim's body and Bentley Park.
Jonathan claimed he was going to quote take his secret
to the grave, but explained to the panel of judges

(34:25):
that he realized it was only a matter of time
until he was caught, and that he felt quote sick
to his stomach about what he did. But in delivering
their verdict dismissing Jonathan's confession and the four men's appeal,
Justice Stephen Hall said there was a strong suggestion that

(34:47):
quote Jonathan Lee's evidence has been tailored in an attempt
to accommodate some of the known objective facts end quote.
He went on to say that the evidence did not
explain away the threatening text sent to the victim by
Cyril Mancior days before the murder, and the fact that

(35:08):
the four men traveled together to Perth on the day
Gary was attacked. Jonathan's so called confession just didn't add up.
David John Houston's name may not make the headlines very
much anymore, but his story will always be a reminder

(35:30):
of the devastation that unchecked violence and addiction can bring.
The people responsible may have been locked away, but the
pain they caused will never be forgotten. Let's always remember
and keep alive David John Houston's name. He mattered and

(35:52):
always will. Thank you so much for listening to this episode.
Stay tuned for a new one next time week. Until then,
my friends, stay safe and take care.

Speaker 1 (36:06):
Thank you for listening to this episode. As we close out,
let us not forget. Awareness is our greatest defense in
a world that can be dark and grim. Vigilance is
our beacon of hope when it comes to the cases
we have explored together that have remained unsolved. If you
happen to hold a piece of the puzzle, dare to
step forward. As Arthur Lois McMaster bouge Hold once said,

(36:31):
the dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a
duty of the living to do so for them until
we reconvene, my friends, stay vigilant and stay informed.

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174. Meth, Murder, and Mystery in South Fremantle

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