#DC-0114
Donna Howe
On trial · allegations
last updated 1 August 2026 · 3 sources
Confirmed facts
12
Open questions
3
Trial length
3 weeks
Defendants
2
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Timeline of what's confirmed12 entries
5 June 2022
Donna Howe's daughter reported Ms Howe missing.
ABC News
7 June 2022
Two men driving on a remote four-wheel-drive track found human remains in Beerburrum State Forest near the Glass House Mountains.
ABC News
8 June 2022
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said police had confirmed the remains were human and were treating the death as suspicious.
ABC News
8 June 2022
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said charred areas were visible around the remains, while police were still investigating whether burning or decomposition explained the scene.
ABC News
9 June 2022
Police charged a 41-year-old man and a 31-year-old man, both from Caboolture, with murder and misconduct with a corpse; the charges were allegations at that stage.
ABC News
9 June 2022
Detective Senior Sergeant Anthony Green said one of the charged men lived with Ms Howe and the other visited the Balkee Drive home.
ABC News
27 July 2026
On the first day of a three-week Supreme Court trial in Brisbane, Clinton Oliver, 45, and Braydon Franklin, 35, pleaded not guilty to murdering Donna Howe.
ABC News
27 July 2026
Clinton Oliver and Braydon Franklin pleaded guilty to interfering with a corpse, and Justice Martin Burns told the jury those offences would be dealt with later.
ABC News
27 July 2026
Crown Prosecutor Nathan Crane alleged Ms Howe was killed on 8 May 2022 after returning home from a Mother's Day dinner with her daughter.
ABC News
27 July 2026
Crown Prosecutor Nathan Crane alleged the Balkee Street home owned by Ms Howe was where the killing took place.
ABC News
27 July 2026
Oliver's lawyer, John Cook, told the jury they must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that his client intended to kill or cause grievous bodily harm.
ABC News
27 July 2026
Franklin's lawyer, Damian Walsh, told the jury his client sent messages to Oliver to humour him and get Oliver to leave him alone.
ABC News
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
What verdict will the jury reach on the murder charges against Clinton Oliver and Braydon Franklin?unconfirmed; trial underway · unconfirmed
How will the court deal with the guilty pleas to interfering with a corpse?unconfirmed; Justice Martin Burns said those offences would be dealt with later · unconfirmed
What findings, if any, will the court make about how and where Donna Howe died?unconfirmed; current reporting describes Crown allegations and defence responses · unconfirmed
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