Daniel Holdom, convicted of murdering Karlie Jade Pearce-Stevenson and her two-year-old daughter Khandalyce Kiara Pearce in 2008, is appealing his two life sentences in the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal. The bodies were discovered years later, with the toddler's remains found in a suitcase near a remote highway in South Australia in 2015.
Holdom's barrister, Susan Kluss, argued that the sentences were manifestly excessive, noting that her client pleaded guilty but received no discount for doing so. She stated that the guilty plea spared the community and the victims' families from a lengthy and traumatic trial.
Crown prosecutor Katharine Jeffreys countered that the crimes were of such 'grave heinousness' that life sentences were warranted, even with a guilty plea. She highlighted Holdom's lack of remorse and his callous behavior after the murders, including using the victim's bank account to steal $72,000.
The murders occurred in 2008 after the mother and daughter left their home in Alice Springs with Holdom, who was Ms Pearce-Stevenson's boyfriend of two months. She was sexually assaulted and killed in Belanglo State Forest, while the toddler was killed four days later and placed in a suitcase.
During sentencing in November 2018, Justice Robert Hulme described the crimes as the worst of their kind, citing extreme force, sadistic violation, and trophy photos. Holdom's appeal includes a claim that the judge failed to properly consider his difficult childhood, which involved violent abuse from a stepfather.
The Court of Criminal Appeal, comprising Chief Judge Natalie Adams, Justice Peter Hamill, and Justice Edward Muston, has reserved its decision.
