Hoarder lived with murdered corpse for 15 years, covered smell with air freshener

An Australian man named Bruce Roberts shot and killed an alleged intruder, Shane Snellman, in 2002. Roberts, who was a hoarder, did not report the incident to local authorities and would live with the corpse until his own death in 2017.

It was revealed at a coronial inquest in a Sydney court on Thursday, 20 May, that the Australian used more than 70 bottles of air freshener to mask the scent of decomposing body

AUSTRALIAN ‘HOARDER’ KILLED INTRUDER AND LIVED WITH CORPSE FOR 15 YEARS

Local media reported that Roberts shot Snellman in 2002 when the pair were aged 46 and 39, respectively, at the hoarder’s house in North Shore, Sydney.

The deputy state coroner determined that Snellman – who had chequered past and criminal convictions – had likely broken into Roberts’ home. Snellman’s sister took exception to this and claimed that the men knew each other.

The court heard that the hoarder lived with Snellman’s decomposing body, which was in one of the cluttered bedrooms, for 15 years.

Roberts was a recluse and rarely left the house. His body was found in 2017 after neighbours notified emergency services – they had not seen him for quite some time and became suspicious. He was found slumped over a heater, which was still on. The cause of death was most likely a heart attack.

Snellman’s body was not found until cleaners began clearing the estate in 2018. According to news.com.au, the body was surrounded by a very large amount of air freshener products. He was found fully clothed in a slumped sitting position and had a gunshot wound to his neck. Tattoos, DNA and fingerprints identified the mummified body.

Police suspect that the fatal weapon was one of the 13 firearms – along with a cache of ammunition – they found in the hoarder’s home.

The inquest described the pair as “strangers in life” who had a chance encounter at the Roberts’ home.: Roberts, for example, had hundreds of thousands of dollars in his bank account at his time of death, while Snellman had just 66 cents, according to the Australian Associated Press.

Additional reporting by AFP