Story summary
In January 18, Jethro Curtis murdered his uncle Stephen Curtis in Maffra, Victoria. The Supreme Court heard that Curtis had been messaging another person about his desire to kill his uncle days before the attack, indicating he was planning the murder for some time. During the assault, Curtis beat and strangled Stephen before stealing his money and car. At trial, Jethro claimed his uncle had sexually assaulted him and others in their family, though these claims were never proven. Despite this, Justice Rita Incerti noted that a psychologist found them plausible.
Curtis was sentenced to 24 years in prison with a non-parole period of 17 years, after he admitted guilt at the plea hearing in Morwell last week. The court also learned that Curtis had contacted his uncle's wife before the murder, warning her Stephen’s days were numbered and it would all be over soon. He took $5000 from Stephen's bank account post-murder and fled to Pakenham by train after abandoning Stephen's car in an underground parking lot.
Written for “Murder Of Uncle By Nephew” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
A murderer who strangled his frail uncle to death after accusing him of sexual abuse has been jailed for 24 years.
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who → strangle → years
Jethro Curtis, 44, attacked Stephen Curtis, 63, in their Maffra home, about 220km east of Melbourne, on the evening of January 18.
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Curtis → attack → January
He had accused the older man of physically and sexually abusing him and other members of their family, although the allegations have not been proven.
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allegations → accuse → family
The day before the murder, Curtis contacted Stephen's wife about the accusations and said the older man's days were numbered and it would all be over soon.
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it → contact → accusations
Then on January 18, while his mother was out of the house, Curtis smoked cannabis, methamphetamine and took prescription anti-psychotic medication before walking into Stephen's room about 9pm.
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Curtis → smoke → room
He repeatedly punched Stephen in the face and kicked him in the head, before rolling him onto his stomach and fatally strangling him with a telephone cable.
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He → punch → cable
After the murder, Curtis logged into Stephen's bank account and transferred himself $5000.
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Curtis → log → 5000
He also stole Stephen's car, drove it to a nearby shopping centre and left it in an underground car park before boarding a train to Pakenham.
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He → steal → Pakenham
Before killing his uncle in January, Jethro Curtis warned the older man's days were numbered
Jethro Curtis, 44, has accused Stephen Curtis of physically and sexually abusing him and other members of their family, although the allegations have not been proven
Curtis withdrew another $4000 over the next few hours and admitted to killing Stephen in conversations with his former partners and then his mother.
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Curtis → kill → partners
His mother called triple zero after she was notified.
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she → call → zero
Paramedics arrived at the Maffra property about noon on January 19 and found Stephen's body on the ground and covered in a shower curtain.
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body → arrive → curtain
When arrested 205km away in the Melbourne beachside suburb of Seaford, Curtis immediately admitted to killing his uncle, telling detectives he snapped and believed Stephen was a child molester.
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Stephen → arrest → detectives
He pleaded guilty to murder in July.
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He → plead → July
Curtis did not react on Wednesday as Victorian Supreme Court Justice Rita Incerti handed down his sentence.
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Incerti → react → sentence
She described the murder as a brutal attack, noting Stephen had been particularly frail because of his Parkinson's disease.
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Stephen → describe → disease
'The offending was extreme,' the judge said in her sentencing reasons.
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judge → say → reasons
'It was carried out against a frail and defenceless victim in his own home.
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But Justice Incerti accepted Curtis had a troubled and depraved upbringing, tainted by abuse, violence and drug use.
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Curtis → accept → abuse
His diagnosed complex post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and cannabis dependence reduced his moral culpability and would make his time in custody more difficult, the judge accepted.
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judge → diagnose → custody
Curtis also pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, which showed remorse and warranted a discount on sentence, Justice Incerti said.
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Incerti → plead → sentence
Curtis was jailed for 24 years.
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Curtis → jail → years
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