Russell And Kimberley Griffin

Tears for slain children ‘now together forever’

Russell Griffin and his sister Kimberley were never far apart intheir brief lives, the 13-year-old boy always the protector of hislittle sister.

But last week nothing could protect the two children on what should have been just another adventure in the bush not far from their home.

Instead, a killer took their lives.

But as their family was reminded yesterday nothing could take away their innocence.

At the funeral service their grandmother Faye Carter said the pair would now be together forever, ‘‘two good kids, two bad tempered little kids’’.

More than 100 people attended the funeral, with emergency services workers standing shoulder to shoulder with family members, adults and children in front of two small coffins and bouquets — one from Year 4C at Kimberley’s school.

They remembered children’s parties, lollies and toys, temper tantrums and brother/sister fights.

Joshua Kilpatrick, Russell’s best friend when they were at school together, said he still remembered a birthday party at Mrs Carter’s home when they played with a toy glider.

They would always have those memories now but last week the chance of memories of graduations, first kisses and families of their own, were stolen away.

Despite the coloured balloons and dozens of children there could only be grief yesterday. Sobs and tears punctuated the service but there was a sense of relief among those assembled that they were able to meet Russell and nine-year-old Kimberley at all.

School teacher Jane Kennedy, who taught Kimberley in Years 1 and 2, broke down when she said: ‘‘I’m so thankful I was part of her very short life.’’

One of the Kimberley’s young schoolmates could not read out a poem she wrote about her friend.

Instead her mother had to read it on her behalf.

And when the Reverend John Alley explained how bad things happened to innocent people, the congregation needed no further reminder than the young children in their school uniforms with tears in their eyes.

Russell And Kimberley Griffin

 

Button guilty of child deaths

THE grandfather of murdered school children Russell and Kimberley Griffin yesterday shook hands with their killer's father minutes after his son was found guilty of their murder.

"I've got sympathy for him, he's a father the same as I am,'' Clive Griffin said.


Mr Griffin spoke of his relief after Joseph Garrett Button was convicted in Rockhampton Supreme Court yesterday afternoon.

"I thought I'd be dead before that bastard ever set foot in a courtroom,'' he said.

"I've never been so relieved in my life.''

Button's mother and sisters wept openly in the court gallery as the jury found him guilty of the October 2001 murders.

Justice Peter Dutney is expected to hand down a prison sentence of at least 20 years this morning.
Mr Griffin, accompanied always by the victims' neighbour, Michael Hepburn, sat through all 11 days of the exhausting and often emotional trial waiting for the verdict.

"I had to be here for the kids, I felt somebody had to represent them,'' Mr Griffin said. But he said some of the grue- some details revealed in the trial had forced him to leave the room. "There were some things that I suspected but didn't know for sure that came up.''

He hoped Button would never be allowed to leave prison, adding his grandchildren, aged 9 and 13 at the time, would now be aged 13 and 17.

"So much has been taken away from us ... they never got to have their lives, they will never have an 18th birthday, a 21st birthday, they will never learn to drive...''

"If Annette (victims' mother) lives to be 100 she will never get over this.

 

Russell And Kimberley Griffin

Doctor: Boy drank before murder

RUSSELL Griffin had been drinking alcohol before he was murdered on October 15, 2001, the Rockhampton Supreme Court heard yesterday.


A former Queensland Health pathologist yesterday said a toxicology report revealed the 13- year-old's body had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.063, higher than the legal driving limit.

Last week the murder trial of Joseph Garrett Button, heard the accused had told friends he had been drinking wine with a young man on the day Russell and his nine-year-old sister Kimberley were killed.

The pathologist, Dr Terrence Sinton, who did the autopsy on both children, revealed the cause of death in both cases to be "asphyxiation consistent with compression of the neck''.

Button has pleaded not guilty to murdering the North Rockhampton children. He has also pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape against Kimberley.

Peter Clausen, a forensic scien- tist from John Tonge Centre, Brisbane, said blood with DNA matching Kimberley Griffin's was found on a shirt belonging to Button.

He also said sperm, believed to be from Button, was on Kimberley's pants.

 

Russell And Kimberley Griffin

Mother's justice took four years

AFTER four long years, Annette Griffin finally got justice for the murder of her children, Russell and Kimberley, yesterday.

A tearful Ms Griffin yesterday spoke publicly for the first time of the trauma her family had been put through, just minutes after convicted murderer Joseph Garrett Button was sentenced to life imprisonment.

"I'm constantly reliving it, it's been a little easier in the last two years but birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries are very hard,'' she said.

Ms Griffin said she was feeling numb after hearing the sentence but was relieved Button would spend a long time in prison.

"I have gotten some form of justice for Russell and Kimberley.''

The former Glenmore State School students were aged 13 and 9 on the afternoon of October 15, 2001, when Button led them to an isolated part of Mt Archer National Park.

There he strangled them and threw their bodies off a cliff before chucking rocks at them.
There is also evidence he sexually assaulted Kimberley.

Ms Griffin criticised the long delays in determining whether Button, who has been diagnosed by some psychiatrists as a paranoid schizophrenic, was fit to stand trial.

"I don't think it was right for me to wait four years to get justice,'' she said. "There were a lot of times I didn't think it would come to an end.'' Ms Griffin said the trial had forced her to relive the horrors of four years ago and could not return to court for most of the trial after giving evidence on day one.

But she summoned the strength to join her father Clive in court on Tuesday to hear the jury find Button guilty of both murders and again yesterday to hear the sentence.

"I needed to hear the verdict to get some sort of closure.'' Ms Griffin hoped she would be able to get her life back on track now the trial was over.

She said she was yet to decide if she wanted to stay in Rockhampton in the long term.

"I've just been focused on getting justice for my kids for the last four years, I'm going to try to get on with my life.''

Ms Griffin spoke to The Morning Bulletin on the condition none of her family was photographed.

 

Russell And Kimberley Griffin

A family friend of murdered youngsters Russell and Kimberley Griffin yesterday claimed their accused killer had tried to take her daughter just a day earlier. Kathy Marie Hopwood yesterday took the witness stand in the murder trial of Joseph Garrett Button in the Rockhampton Supreme Court.

Button, 33, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Russell, 13, and Kimberley Griffin, 9, on October 15, 2001. The children were allegedly strangled and their bodies thrown off a cliff in the Mount Archer National Park.

The court heard Button had taken the children to search for special didgeridoo wood. Ms Hopwood ? a friend of the murdered siblings' mother Annette Griffin ? told the court she had met Button by chance when he walked into the hotel where she was playing pool. She said Button must have seen her address on some paperwork she had and was shocked when he turned up at her house a few weeks later. Ms Hopwood said the conversations she later had with Button had been "very weird'' with him at one point asking her to perform a sex act on him.

Ms Hopwood said when her daughter, a school pal of Kimberley's, arrived home Button asked if he could take her to Yeppoon to hunt for didgeridoo wood. When Ms Hopwood refused, she said Button's eyes "went evil''. "He was upset when I refused. I didn't worry about his feelings. I just said no. He got a bit funny. His eyes ... I just wanted him out of my home.''

It was at this point that Ms Griffin and Russell arrived at Ms Hopwood's, meeting Button for what is believed to be the first time. She said Ms Griffin never saw the argument. The Griffin children went missing the next day. The court also heard from one of Ms Griffin's neighbours, Michael Matthew Hepburn, who also had young children.

Mr Hepburn said he had seen Button giggling with Russell on the day of the murder, but Russell was usually a quiet kid. He said Russell had asked to borrow a hacksaw from him while Button looked on from underneath the Griffin's house.

Witness Tiana June Perkis said she had seen Button and the children on the day of their deaths. She said Russell was drinking and Button smelt of alcohol. Ms Perkis said Button yelled "God bless you'' and he walked off along Richardson Road with the kids. The trial continues.