GUILTY Australia - Tara Costigan, 28, brutally slain, Calwell, ACT, 28 Feb 2015

A man has pleaded guilty to the brutal axe murder of his former partner, Tara Costigan, who was holding their baby at the time of the attack.
Marcus Rappel, 41, was arrested after being restrained at Ms Costigan's home at Calwell, in Canberra's south, in February last year.
Ms Costigan was found dead on the laundry floor of the home.
Court documents revealed Ms Costigan, a mother of three, had been holding the couple's one-week-old baby when Rappel came at her with an axe.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-03/tara-costigan-marcus-rappel-pleads-guilty-to-murder/7216192

Ms Costigan applied for and obtained an interim domestic violence order on February 27.
A few hours later, Rappel is accused of driving to the Duggan Street home in Calwell where Ms Costigan was staying.
Rappel allegedly struck her with the axe and she fell to the ground. At the same time as striking Ms Costigan, the axe allegedly connected with the hand of the sister, Rikki Schmidt, severing a tendon.
Ms Schmidt's partner Bryce Bullman then stepped in, knocking the axe out of Rappel's hands and struggling with him.
A neighbour came in and saw Rappel, taking him by the arm and leading him out of the unit.
Rappel, according to court documents, is alleged to have said:

"I killed her, I killed her, I think I killed her."

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act...-murder-of-tara-costigan-20150915-gjmpbn.html



Before killing Tara, this man bragged to his new girlfriend that the next woman to slap him with a DVO is going to die!
He's a brute, a monster! He knows what he is, he bashes women and expects them to put up and shut up! He needs to be locked away for a very long time.
Tara leaves behind her 3 beautiful children.

What a creep.

"Tara Costigan's family and friends have sobbed and screamed as the harrowing triple-0 call made by her sister in the moments after the mother-of-three was fatally struck in the neck with an axe was played in court."

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/tara-costigans-family-break-down-as-triple0-call-made-by-her-sister-played-in-court-20160719-gq8v2i.html

Tara Costigan killer Marcus Rappel says he did not plan murder, bought axe to chop up furniture instead
ABC News
Elizabeth Byrne
Updated Mon Sep 05 17:57:28 EST 2016
Posted Mon Sep 05 14:37:39 EST 2016

'A Canberra man who killed his former partner Tara Costigan with an axe he had just purchased has denied he planned the murder, saying he had wanted to chop up furniture.'

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-05/marcus-rappel-tara-costigan-sentence-sons-letter/7815704

Tara Costigan murder: Marcus Rappel denies faking tears during sentencing hearing
Elizabeth Byrne
ANC News
Updated Tue Sep 06 18:38:40 EST 2016
Posted Tue Sep 06 14:31:23 EST 2016

'Rappel has broken down several times over the past two days, particularly during victim impact statements when his baby daughter was being discussed.

But he denied faking his tears when questioned on the witness stand.'

'On Tuesday, Rappel also told the court he was only joking when he remarked to his then partner that he would kill the next girl who took out a domestic violence order (DVO) against him.

He had been leaving the City Police Station after receiving the order when he made the remark.

Prosecutors have been quizzing Rappel for the last two days about text messages between him, Ms Costigan, and others including his sister and his then partner.

Rappel denied a text message to his sister shortly before the killing suggested he had planned the murder.

In one message just minutes before the killing he responded to his sister's suggestions about helping him to collect furniture from Ms Costigan's house.'

Rappel: "Too late mate."

Sister: "Too late for what?"

Rappel: "She is *advertiser censored**ed."

Click to expand...

'Rappel waited outside Costigan house, court told

The court also viewed images of Rappel driving his car past Ms Costigan's house 13 times over 46 minutes in the lead up to the crime.

Rappel said he was trying to stop himself going into the house.'

'Prosecutors suggested that he was waiting for a particular visitor to leave, and it was not until the man drove off that Rappel went into the driveway.

Rappel denied the suggestion.'

'He also denied lying to the court and his psychiatrist to minimise his sentence.

Rappel has finished giving evidence.

The court will hear from a forensic psychiatrist on Wednesday.'

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-...rcus-rappel-says-murder-threat-a-joke/7819374

Tara Costigan's axe murderer jailed for at least 26 years



Marcus Rappel, who pleaded guilty to murdering mother-of-three Tara Costigan, was sentenced today in the ACT Supreme Court.
Costigan was murdered in front of her sons, aged nine and 11 at the time. She was also holding her eight-day old daughter when she was killed.


http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...his-expartner-with-an-axe#C5QtKZOdrozpkvDu.99

Justice!

Ugh that is a disgusting excuse for a man. Those poor children had to witness the violent murder of their mother...I imagine no one can completely recover from that. He should be put on a line and strung out for shark bait.

What is the likelihood of him getting out in 26 years?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tara Costigan's killer Marcus Rappel accused of prison bashing
ANC News
ELIZABETH BYRNE
UPDATED ABOUT AN HOUR AGO (as at 15:30 AEDT 21 December 2017)

‘The killer of Canberra woman Tara Costigan has appeared alongside four other prisoners charged with bashing two brothers in prison.’

‘The group is accused of an attack on two brothers whom police said were hospitalised after the incident.’

‘The case will return to court in January.’

Read more at:

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-...-allegedly-involved-in-prison-bashing/9278790

Months added to Marcus Rappel's sentence after prison bashing

Justice Elkaim has added six months to Marcus Rappel's overall sentence, with a further three months to his non-parole period.

A second man, 28-year-old Daniel Grech, also pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault. Grech has been given a one-month suspended sentence.

Charges against three other men were abandoned.

I've just finished reading


The First Time He Hit Her

by Heidi Lemon .... which lays out in some detail this hideous event, with significant input from the author in regard to her own awakening to a sort of co -dependent abuse by a partner, and the real and factual implications of staying versus leaving.

Well.. I cried at the end. Such a revolting and reprehensible act by Rapell, such unbalanced and unprovoked 'punishment' he felt entitled to deal out to Tara, and her with his week old baby daughter in her arms at the time. There are just no words for it, and as time has gone on it is obvious that Marcus has no intention of giving up his proclivities for violence , his thrill about it, his need for it.

There is no cure for this.