AN AUSTRALIAN man has been jailed for 31 years over the chilling murder of his future Irish son-in-law.
Sligo man Damien Conlon, 38, was set to marry Linda Simon only months after he was killed by her father in 2023.
Army veteran Luke Samouel Simon “lured” Conlon to his home in Oberon, New South Wales, in February 2023 and told him to get on his knees.
The 60-year-old then said “bye bye Damien” before shooting him.
Chilling CCTV footage from the house moments before the murder took place show “intent” to kill, according to the courts.
Simon pleaded guilty to the murder, with his daughter claiming he “had it out” for Conlon as she asked the judge to put her father behind bars.
Justice Sarah McNaughton said: “I’ve viewed the disturbing and chilling video of the final shooting of the already wounded Mr Conlon.
“I note the calm and calculated manner in which the offender shot Mr Conlon, the words ‘bye, bye, Damien’, the tone of his voice, as well as the offender’s multiple admissions to the shooting.”
The court heard that Simon and his daughter had been exchanging text messages in the days leading to the murder regarding their living situation.
He was planning to build a granny flat to live in on a property Conlon and his fiancee were to move into.
Following a letter sent to her father about the state of the house, their relationship took a turn.
On February 9, 2023, Linda had a missed called from her dad at 6.35am and called back at 6.50am.
Simon told her how Conlon’s belongings had been stolen, to which the Sligo man decided to drive and investigate.
CCTV cameras had been placed on various parts of the property, which captured the incident as Conlon arrived.
Simon was seen removing a semi-automatic pistol from his gun safe and loaded it before putting it near his waistband.
CHILLING VIDEO
The footage then recorded Conlon lying on the ground at the front of the property at 7.56am as Simon called emergency services.
He said on the call: “I have just killed my son-in-law, daughter’s boyfriend … I will go outside and wait for police”.
He also noted that he planned the shooting, admitting: “I knew they were going to get me out … I intended to do it.”
The court was told that Simon had created the stolen items story as a way of luring Conlon to the house.
Simon said: “I’m pretty sure my daughter was pulling the strings. Damien bore the brunt of my anger. Tragically, he’s the one that bore the end of it.”
Only two days before the murder, Simon was again picked up on CCTV taking the gun from the safe and saying to himself: “That’s the one that’s going to put him to sleep.”
‘SENSELESS AND VIOLENT’
Conlon moved to Oz in 2011 and had become an Australian citizen during his time there.
He met Linda on a dating app in 2019 and the two went on to have two children together, as well as Linda’s first two from a previous relationship.
Speaking in her victim statement to the court, Linda said her dad could not face Conlon “like a man and have a conversation with him like a human being”.
She also said her father’s acts were “senseless and violent” and he only had “one intention in mind” the day of the murder.
The court heard that despite his time in the Army, the judge was unable to accept Simon’s PTSD diagnosis as being related to the murder.
She also said that his testimony as unreliable and he had shown a lack of remorse.
Linda went on to tell the court that her and Conlon’s children will now grow up without their father there to witness milestones.
She also added that she spoke to Conlon’s parents Dermot and Ethel in Ireland, saying they “struggle daily” to accept their son was killed.
‘JUSTICE HE DESERVES’
Linda said she will “replay these tragic event for the rest of my life” as she urged the judge to “give Damien the justice he deserves” by putting his “killer behind bars”.
Conlon and Linda were set to marry in November last year with the wedding planned and paid for ahead of his sudden death.
Speaking at they time of his death, a relative, who didn’t want to be named, said the family were left in shock following the murder.
They told the Irish Examiner: “He was a very nice guy, nobody could have anything bad to say about him.
“He was quiet, respectful, and a good bit of craic as well. We’re all in shock.”
