him, and denied ever saying to anyone that he had shot a man. According to Ryan, they were after the reward money by making false allegations. "At no time did I fire a shot. My freedom was the only objective. The rifle was taken in the first instance so that it could not be used against me." After a trial in the Victorian Supreme Court lasting twelve sitting days Ryan was convicted of the murder of Hodson and sentenced to death by Justice John Starke, the mandatory sentence at that time. Asked if he had anything to say before sentencing Ryan stated "I still maintain my innocence. I will consult with my counsel with a view to appeal. That is all I have to say!" Walker was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. He was also found guilty of manslaughter for the death of Arthur Henderson and received an 12-year sentence. Walker was paroled in 1984. He died on 5 March 2022, at the age of 80. After the trial According to juryman Tom Gildea, the jury evidently thought that the death sentence would be commuted, as had happened in the previous 35 death penalties cases since 1951. Gildea's account of the discussions in the jury room, not one member of the jury thought that Ryan would be executed. Gildea said, Of the jury, two members held out the first vote we took, but 10 of us were sure Ryan was guilty. He was a bit too sure of himself in the witness box but the thing that decided us was handling the rifle which had killed Hodson. We had been told the rifle had a hair trigger, but when we examined it we found we had to pull it at least half an inch and use quite a bit of force." Eight members of the jury were experienced with rifles either in the country or overseas with war service.Dickens, Barry, Guts and Pity – The Hanging that ended Capital Punishment in Australia Gildea also said, "I don't know how much experience the judge and the lawyers had but we had had our share in the jury box I can tell you." When it was apparent that the Victorian Government was intent on hanging Ryan, Gildea contacted the nine other jury members he could trace. Gildea said that of the twelve