Triple murderer loses bid for NSW inquiry

Sef Gonzales received three life sentences in 2004 after being found guilty of murdering his solicitor father, Teddy, 46, his office manager mother, Mary, 43, and his 18-year-old high school student sister, Clodine.

They all sustained multiple stab wounds, while his sister also was hit with a bat, in their northwest Sydney home in July 2001.

An appeal against his convictions and sentences was dismissed in 2007, and an application for a special inquiry into the convictions was dismissed in 2018.

Representing himself, the now 39-year-old then made a second NSW Supreme Court application for an inquiry, contending there are questions as to his guilt.

He also asserted that "new material has come to light" as a result of the previous application.

Justice Lucy McCallum on Tuesday dismissed the application, saying his assertion appeared to be based on a misreading of part of the previous judgment.

She also rejected other arguments including his assertions of prejudicial conduct on the part of the crown prosecutor.

The Crown had alleged Gonzales committed the murders because he wanted to inherit his parents' property.

The sentencing judge found "he was fearful that, because of his poor performance in his university studies, his parents might take his car away from him and might withdraw other privileges which had been granted to him and that he wished to succeed, without delay and as sole heir, to his parents' property".

Part of Gonzales' written submissions to Justice McCallum related to the absence of blood seen on him or his clothing a short time after the killings, which an expert described as "quite markedly bloody affairs".

"The absence of evidence of any clean-up or disposal of items was simply part of the matrix of the Crown's circumstantial case," Justice McCallum said.

"No basis has been established for doubting the applicant's guilt on the basis that he had insufficient time to clean up and dispose of evidence."

Australian Associated Press