‘Body in freezer’ accused a dad, volunteer firefighter
A YOUNG dad charged with murdering a Brisbane teacher, stuffing him in a freezer and burying him in the victim's suburban backyard is a volunteer firefighter who was a neighbour of the dead man.
Bobby Andrew Weaver, 24, fronted Ipswich Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being extradited from Byron Bay over the grisly death of 58-year-old high school teacher David Thornton.
Friends of Mr Thornton said his phone was not working but he was responding to people on Facebook up until late last month.
Weaver was formally charged with the murder and interfering with a corpse yesterday and faced court for the first time, his head hung for almost the entire duration.
Weaver is the father of an infant daughter, a volunteer firefighter and he has a fiance.
Mr Thornton was a popular maths and science teacher at Bremer and Centenary high schools in Brisbane.
He was forced into retirement through injury, one neighbour said.
A former student of Mr Thornton's said he had been "such an important part" of her life, calling him "the best".
His daughter, Calysha, posted a heartfelt tribute on Facebook with a link to an online fundraising campaign for funeral costs.
"We weren't prepared for this. No one was prepared for this. Any little bit will help, please help us have the opportunity to say goodbye like he would have wanted. I love you Daddy," she wrote.
Police excavated Mr Thornton's property after neighbours reported seeing an excavator being used in the missing man's backyard last week.
Bearded and wearing a blue flannel shirt, Weaver sat with his hands clasped, showing no emotion on a video screen that was beamed into the Tweed Heads Magistrates Court on Wednesday from his cell.
He was then extradited to Queensland and faced the Ipswich Magistrates Court after being formally charged with murder.
The case was adjourned to April 17.
