Pair face court charged with murder of Herman Rockefeller as double life claims emerge

E-mail Print
A man and woman have  faced court this morning charged with the murder of missing Melbourne businessman Herman Rockefeller.

Police found remains believed to be those of Rockefeller at a house in the Melbourne suburb of Glenroy late on Friday and charged Mario Schembri, 57, and Bernadette Denny, 41, with his murder.

They faced the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court this morning in a brief hearing and were remanded in custody.

Rockefeller, a prominent property investor in Australia and New Zealand, disappeared from Melbourne Airport on January 22 after a business trip to Newcastle.

Police were initially baffled by the disappearance. Rockefeller appeared to have no business conflicts and had not used his bank accounts or credit cards after leaving Melbourne Airport.

A state-wide hunt for the millionaire took police to regional Victoria (where his car was found early last week in the town of Ballan) and finally to Melbourne's northern suburbs, where Schembri and Denny were arrested on Thursday before being charged with Rockefeller's murder the next day.

Police are now reportedly investigating Rockefeller's links to Melbourne's swingers scene and are examining five pre-paid mobile phones that he used.

SmartCompany has also received information suggesting that Rockefeller may have been the target of a blackmail attempt as early as November 2009.

The reports of Rockefeller's bizarre double life, including suggestions he had a mystery girlfriend, have shocked the millionaire's grieving family.

"Our family is devastated by Herman's loss and deeply shocked by the circumstances by his death,'' Herman's brother, Robert Rockefeller said on the weekend.

"This is an intensely painful time for all members of our immediate and extended family."

Rockefeller kept an extremely low profile in his home town of Melbourne, but the Harvard graduate's impressive career included stints with Carlton & United Breweries, the Pratt family's Visy Industries and New Zealand-based investment company Brierley Investments.

In recent years, Rockefeller has concentrated on property investment, particularly in the Tasmania market where he made several multi-million dollar deals.

Related Items :
 

By submitting your email you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions.

10 billionaire wealth tips

FREE DOWNLOAD - How the world's richest entrepreneurs built their businesses and fortunes 

Every rich entrepreneur usually has at least one business secret that business owners and investors can learn from. We hope you find plenty of ideas in this eBook to propel your fortune to rich-list levels!

Register for the SmartCompany Newsletter and receive '10 billionaire wealth tips'.

Please enter a valid email address. For example fred@domain.com .

By submitting your email you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions.

Free Daily Newsletter
SmartCompany Newsletter Please enter a valid email address. For example fred@domain.com .
Follow us:

By submitting your email you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions.

Sponsored Links

Business Resources

 
Smartco

DIRECT LINKS

TOPICS

OUR PARTNERS

NETWORK PARTNERS

SmartCompany.com.au is Australia's leading website for SMEs featuring business news, business information and business blogs. SmartCompany's archive of news, feature articles, entrepreneur interviews and business webinars cover topics such as advertising and marketing, buying or selling a business, starting a business, growing a business, franchising, SEO, superannuation and tax.
SmartCompany is a Private Media website

Online Solution by Valegro

Download SmartCompany eBooks: 10 quick sales and marketing wins | Steve Jobs: Lessons from a legend50 tips from Australia's top SME entrepreneurs

Popular on Partner sites: Steve Jobs Dead | Property Investment Tips | How to Write a Business Plan | Technology in Business | Business MentorsBusiness to Business | Start a Business | Small Business | How to Write a Marketing Plan | Carbon Tax | 25 start up ideas