The Boulder Hammer Murder: A Son, an Abusive Household, and a Jury’s Mercy

Jury Returns Verdict Of Manslaughter: Leonard Gordon Darcey (24), a single, labourer, was today found guilty of the manslaughter of Sava Vlaisavlevich, alias Sam Salovich, at Boulder on November 28. Mercy was strongly recommended. A jury brought in its verdict after retiring for the second time in the Eastern Goldfields Court of Sessions, Kalgoorlie. Darcey faced a charge of wilful murder. The first verdict brought in by the jury after a retirement of a little over an hour was one of guilty of murder. In so doing, it added the following rider: While temporarily of an unbalanced mind which was brought about by years of strain brought to a sudden climax by his mother’s tears.

“Undoubtedly the final breaking point came about by a negative type of provocation”.

From the woodshed, he saw Vlaisavlevich in bed with his mother, and no doubt this was the final insult and extreme provocation. “We ask that the Court extend the greatest clemency possible.”  The Judge Justice stated that where there is an element of provocation, a verdict of guilty of wilful murder or of murder must give way to a verdict of manslaughter.” The jury then retired again to reconsider the verdict and after five minutes returned to give its finding, which his Honour said he found hard to agree with.

Darcey, who was a brilliant lightweight boxer, was sentenced to 10 years with hard labour in Kalgoorlie Court in February 1952. His defence was that he killed Salinovich because he ill-treated his mother. One of the exhibits in the court was a pistol which the defence stated was kept by the deceased with which to threaten Mrs Darcy and her children. The accused was one of four children of Mrs Darcy, and he lived with her and his father till the age of 8 years in Milton Street, Boulder. The father then deserted the family and the older three children were placed in institutions while Mrs Darcey went to live with Sava Vlaisavlevich; she was pregnant with Sava’s child at the time. Young Darcey and his brother were sent to the Swan Boys Orphanage, where he had been employed ever since. On November 22nd, on his way to Adelaide, Darcey visited his mother.

Darcey’s mother then took up the tale. She said she and her son had listened to the radio on the evening of the 27th before retiring to bed. She then awoke the next morning to find Vlaisavlevich covered in blood. She ran to the bathroom for damp flannels. She said her son was standing on the back veranda in his pyjamas. He was saying, ‘Mum stop your screaming.

Mrs Darcey then told the jury that Vlaisavlevich had a violent temper and was jealous of her children and a madman. He would knock me about when in a temper and had threatened to shoot me and my son. Twice her son had sent her money so she could leave him as he had known for a long time that he was knocking her about. She had written to her son before his visit, and when he arrived they had a serious conversation about it on the fatal evening. She told how she had cried on her son’s shoulder, saying Vlaisavlevich had broken her fingers and her ribs. She also said he had kicked her in the stomach when she was pregnant the previous Christmas. Her only protection was her 15-year-old daughter Nancy, who it seems Vlaisavlevich would not hurt.

Darcy then told how on the previous day he had transferred £200 to his mother’s account should she need it. He said it wasn’t until the morning of the incident that he took the hammer and decided upon his action. He stated, “If it hadn’t been him it could have been Mum and Nancy dead”. Darcey, who was a brilliant lightweight boxer, was sentenced to 10 years with hard labour in Kalgoorlie Court in February 1952.

Sava Vlaisavlevich – Boulder Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock.

Kalgoorlie Miner 30 November 1951, page 8

VLAISAVLEVICH The friends of the late Mr. Saw (Sam) Vlaisavlevich, of 67 Davis Street, Boulder, dearly beloved of Millie, loving father of Nancy, of Boulder, brother of Mr Peter Vlaisavlevich, of Yugoslavia, cousin of Mr and Mrs Yanko Vlaisavlevich, of Gosnells, uncle of Wally and Steve Vlaisavlevich, of Gosnells, are respectfully informed that his remains will be interred in the Anglican portion of the Boulder Cemetery. The funeral cortege will leave W. Strother’s Private Chapel, 27 Burt Street, Boulder – W. Strother
VLAISAVLEVICH — G.U.O.F.G Blue Bell Lodge, No. 13. — The brethren of the above lodge are respectfully invited to follow the remains of our late Bro Savr (Sam). For further particulars see main funeral notice.—C. Smith. Secretary.

Family History: In Fremantle WA in 1926, Leslie Leonard DARCEY married Milleva Rose KAMELICH. The couple had four children; the oldest was Leonard. The plaque on the grave of Vlaisavlevich in the Boulder Cemetery stated that he was the loved husband of Millie; there is no record that they ever married, and she was described at the trial as his de facto wife.
The inscription on the plaque also states he was the father of Nancy. This doesn’t fit with the evidence in the trial. Why would Millie pay for a headstone stating this under the circumstances, we will never know. Five years after the death of Vlaisavlevich, in 1956, Millie married for the second time in Fremantle under the surname of Darcey to Patrick LYDON. In 1958, Nancy Darcey married Stanley William John BRAY also in Fremantle. I could find no death for a Leslie Leonard DARCEY in WA.

Upon his release from prison, Leonard did continue his journey to Adelaide SA, where he remained; he died and was buried there in 1970 aged 43 years. His mother died and is buried in Fremantle in 1974 aged 64 years. She had been a widow for 10 years.