Mark Ludbrook: Wheelchair-bound man found guilty of murdering friend Autumn Baker
A wheelchair-bound man killed his friend with a steak knife in a drug-affected state, a jury has found.
Mark Graham Ludbrook was charged after police found his friend Autumn Baker dead at her Melbourne home on the afternoon of August 3, 2023.
Ludbrook was found naked with self-inflicted wounds in the backyard of the Hoppers Crossing property.
He faced a two-week trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria after pleading not guilty to murder; his defense argued that he was unable to control his actions at the time.
During the trial, jurors heard Ludbrook turned to illicit drugs to relieve his chronic pain and was acting strangely on the day of Ms Baker’s death.
After four days of deliberations, a jury of 12 Victorians returned to court on Thursday afternoon and found Ludbrook guilty of the charge.
Ludbrook, who was sitting in a motorized wheelchair, showed little reaction and closed his eyes several times as two fans began to cry.
He was remanded into custody by Judge James Gorton ahead of the hearing.
More to come
