Constable Keith Smith Murder Trial: Leigh Sushames Pleads Guilty

Over the past year Tasmanian constable Keith Smith has been remembered as someone who would help anyone in need and had even been thanked by someone he previously arrested.

Today, the Supreme Court in Burnie heard that one of the last things he said was to ask his would-be killer "how are you, mate?"

Constable Smith and another Tasmania Police officer were standing in the carport of Leigh Geoffrey Sushames' North Motton property on June 16, 2025.

The court heard that moments later, Sushames then raised a high-powered rifle and shot Constable Smith twice.

The second shot killed him instantly, Crown prosecutor Daryl Coates SC told the court.

He described the shooting as "little more than an execution".

Today, 47-year-old Sushames appeared before Justice Tamara Jago having pleaded guilty to Constable Smith's murder.

Sushames also pleaded guilty to several crimes associated with the events of that day including the aggravated assault of another two police officers.

Sushames knew police were coming to repossess home

It has been public knowledge since the day of Constable Smith's death that he was attending Sushames' property at North Motton to serve a repossession notice for his home.

Constable Smith was there with Sergeant Gavin Rigby from the Ulverstone police station and three members of the Tasmania Police special operations group (SOG).

Mr Coates told the court that the repossession process had been ongoing for several years prior to 2025, and that Sushames was aware Constable Smith would be coming to serve the notice on June 16.

The court heard that in 2024 Sushames told a friend he would "kill anyone" who attempted to repossess his home.

The court heard his friend believed it to be a figure of speech.

Sound of gunshots captured on police body-worn camera

Mr Coates played a video to the court showing the moments surrounding Constable Smith's death taken from Sergeant Rigby's body-worn camera footage.

In the video, Constable Smith can be seen standing in a carport next to a blue Ford Falcon, speaking to someone off-screen.

"How are you, mate?" Mr Coates said were Constable Smith's words.

"No good," Sushames responded.

The camera angle then turns to see Sushames crouching behind the bonnet of the car, before standing and revealing a rifle, which he then pointed directly at Sergeant Rigby.

At the outset of today's proceedings, Sushames pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for that action.

The video showed Sergeant Rigby then fled immediately, yelling "he's got a firearm, get out of here".

In the seconds that followed, two loud gunshots could be heard, which Mr Coates said were about five seconds apart.

Sushames asked to be killed while being arrested

No other body-worn camera footage was shown to the court, but Mr Coates told the court that the special operations group officers reacted to the gunshots.

Mr Coates said Sushames was shot in the hand by an SOG officer and was taken into custody.

The court heard that during the arrest, Sushames said "I'm not f***ing moving, come and kill me".

Mr Coates said that in a subsequent interview with police, Sushames said he believed God would pay his mortgage, which he had not been paying for years.

"This was god wanting him to let god take care of everything," Mr Coates said Sushames told police.

He also told police that he had no memory of shooting Constable Smith or the details of the incident.

Mr Coates said Sushames later told his mother that he had "f***ed up", that it was "all his fault", and that "he would pay for it for the rest of his life".

Constable Smith taken in 'evil, selfish act'

The court heard several victim impact statements from members of Constable Smith's family, including his brother Christopher, who addressed the court himself.

"I have endured the lowest of low days," Mr Smith told the court, his voice breaking.

Crown prosecutor Lisa Pennington read victim impact statements from Constable Smith's wife, father, siblings and stepson.

In their statements, they all described the shock and anguish associated with losing a loved one in such a senseless, violent fashion.

Ms Pennington said Constable Smith and his wife married in 2002, and that her young daughter had chosen to take her stepfather's surname.

"So far, 2026 has been a really difficult year.

"It feels like we are leaving him behind, and I worry because I don't want to forget him."

Ms Pennington also read victim impact statements from two police officers involved in the incident.

They both spoke of the devastation and difficulty of seeing a friend and colleague die.

Defence lawyer unable to explain motive for killing

Mr Coates reiterated the effect Constable Smith's shooting had on his colleagues around Tasmania, and that it had "deeply shaken their sense of safety".

"For some, this murder has fundamentally altered how they perceive their work," Mr Coates said.

He said Constable Smith's murder was considered by the Crown as the "worst category of offence".

Mr Coates said nothing the police officers did was provocative, and that Sushames failed to stop after the first shot, which caused Constable Smith "horrific injury".

Defence lawyer Greg Richardson said despite a lengthy history of mental health issues and a recent diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder from a childhood tragedy, Sushames had no explanation for his actions.

"Why did this happen?" Mr Richardson said.

"[It] is the question everyone seems to ask. There is no answer that can come from Mr Sushames.

Mr Richardson and Justice Jago had a lengthy discussion about whether psychosis or mental health disorders were relevant to the murder, but Mr Richardson said he was not trying to make that link.

He said he was not intending to provide Justice Jago with a report from the forensic psychiatrist to consider during sentence.

But, Mr Richardson said, his client's plea of guilty was significant as it avoided the emotional distress of a trial.

"The first time I spoke to him [in August 2025] was that he was pleading guilty," Mr Richardson said.

Mr Coates said it was clear Sushames intended a "violent confrontation" because the police officers intended to take his property from him.

Justice Tamara Jago remanded Sushames in custody, to be sentenced on June 26.