Matthew Lawson, 26, had not slept for a week when he broke down at work and decided he was going to kill his colleague. He left his demolition site with a claw hammer. I’m gonna take him down with me, let me take him down with me, Lawson told his foreman. He then jumped in his car and drove to the City Beach demolition site, where Trae Black, 31, was working.
Man Chased Victim With Car, Hammer
Lawson was in a drug-induced psychosis. He ran at Black and swung the hammer at his head. He only missed because Black moved out of the way. Black then ran to West Coast Highway and hid in the bushes. Lawson drove around the area seven times in his car for about 17 minutes. When Black thought Lawson had left, he came out from the bushes. He began walking along West Coast Highway.
Lawson, however saw him and sped at him with his car. He chased him up a bank and hit him with his car. He then got out of the vehicle, laughing. He struck Black in the head with a hammer over and over. Black was badly hurt in the attack. His right leg was cut off below the knee. His pelvis, skull and jaw were broken.
Police Told Lawson Thought the Victim was Dead
While being apprehended for assault, Lawson inaccurately blamed the police, and, to a cop, he uttered, “Murder. Isn’t he dead? If he’s not dead, I am going to go kill him again.” It was pretty much a miracle that a few people who were just walking by intervened and thus saved Black’s life. An off-duty doctor was among them. They did the necessary emergency procedures right there on the ground while the ambulance was still coming. Black was in a coma for 11 days. The last thing he remembers is that the event changed his life completely.
He is in constant pain. He now wears a prosthetic leg. He can no longer have a physical type of job. This forces him to depend on his family and partner for support. It was not only my case; it was the same for all of us, he shared in his victim impact statement. I mourn the life that I used to have and the life I had planned for myself. I have days when I feel sad and that the problems are too much for me.
Defence Says Man Was in a Psychotic State
The defence lawyer for Lawson, David McCallum, told the Supreme Court of Western Australia in sentencing remarks on Tuesday that nothing should detract from the seriousness of the protracted and savage attack. He said Lawson was a regular user of methamphetamine. He was having an acute paranoid psychotic episode when the incident occurred. The incident took place on July 29, 2024.
McCallum said Lawson had taken drugs since he was young. The incident shocked eyewitnesses. Witnesses say that they could not believe their eyes when one man chased another with his car and then used a hammer on him on a busy highway. An off-duty doctor, who stopped to help, said Black would have died without immediate assistance. The injuries were bad; saving his life required quick action.
Black’s family said their lives changed that day, too. They had to witness him fight for his life in the hospital. Now they have to help him do many things that he could easily do before. His partner took on the role of carer for him. The whole family mourns the loss of the life they knew. Black says some days are harder than others. He tries staying positive, but the pain and limitations make it hard.
Read more court and crime news at Inspirepreneur magazine. Get the latest updates on cases and proceedings in the justice system affecting communities.
