Queensland man jailed for cold case murder

Benjamin Jansen beat Rex Cable Keane 12 times in 1976 to death for fear of homosexual advances.

Almost 50 years later, Janssen was finally convicted of manslaughter on Tuesday.

Jansen, now 72, did not want a sexual encounter, but Keen was suspected of being gay or bisexual, the Brisbane Supreme Court heard.

Keen told Jansen, “I can pay for my meals with my body,” and that he also wants to take pictures.

When Keane approached with a camera, Jansen feared it was a sexual advance.

In what was described as a “dramatic and complete overreaction”, Jansen grabbed the camera and hit Keane with it, hoping to knock him out.

In the end, Jansen hit him over a dozen times with a heavy camera, leaving Keane in a semi-conscious state in the hotel room and moaning.

Justice Declan Kelly said, “In terms of perceived provocation…your overreaction occurred at a different time, when homosexuality was illegal and perceived differently by parts of society.

“But… your reaction was absolutely no excuse.”

The camera was taken by Jansen when he left and was never found after burying it near his home.

Hotel staff found Keane’s body lying in a large pool of blood on the bed the next morning.

Keen had 11 lacerations to his head and a fractured skull.

The court heard that the fracture could have been from a fall.

Keen survived without assistance or care for a considerable period of time after the attack and died within eight hours of the attack.

DNA found in hotel room tissues was identified as Jansen’s in January 2019, and he was arrested six months after being on the run for 43 years.

When arrested, an upset Jansen told officers that Keen’s family “wouldn’t want to know what happened.”

Kelly said Keane’s family, who had lost a beloved son, brother and uncle, “felt deeply” about Keane’s death.

“Kean’s mother died without knowing why or under what circumstances her son was killed,” he said.

“That is a particularly sad and disturbing feature of this incident.

“It was always in your power to come forward and explain what happened, but you didn’t.”

Several of Keane’s family members attended court and heard that Jansen was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

He is immediately eligible for parole on the 1205 days of detention he was declared to have served.