July 2nd 2024.
Newly released police bodycam footage captures the moment that a drug-addled Cody Edwards was arrested for the horrific murder of his girlfriend in South Australia's south-east in 2022.
The victim, Synamin Bell, a mother of three, suffered a crushed skull after Edwards viciously attacked her with a baseball bat and dumbbell. He then proceeded to stab her five times while she lay helpless on the bedroom floor of their Mount Gambier home.
Initially, Edwards was on trial for murder, but during the proceedings, he changed his plea to guilty for the lesser charge of manslaughter, which was accepted by prosecutors.
The defendant's lawyer, Steven Millsteed KC, argued in court that Edwards was in a state of "full-blown paranoia psychosis" on the night of the incident due to the consumption of psychoactive drugs.
In the newly released bodycam footage, we see the 26-year-old being arrested, sprawled on the ground in a disoriented state.
One officer can be heard asking, "What happened?"
"LSD, sir," Edwards responds.
During his police interview, he struggles to answer even the most basic questions, displaying obvious signs of confusion and disorientation.
At one point, an officer asks, "Are you OK?"
"Am I OK? Yeah," Edwards replies, further highlighting his altered mental state.
Millsteed argued in court that Edwards believed Bell was trying to kill him, and he acted in self-defense in his psychotic state.
However, Bell's family is still struggling to come to terms with the change in Edwards' plea. They strongly believe that drug use should not be used as an excuse for a lesser charge.
"According to what we have been told, this man will be free to go on with his life in just six or seven years," Bell's brother, Paul Bell, expressed to 9News.
"It's disgusting. It's absolutely mind-blowing that they can accept this."
The family is devastated by the loss of Bell and the thought of Edwards having a chance to rebuild his life in just a few years adds to their pain and suffering.
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