Ziggy Morgan Vanags jailed for seven years for role in killing of Nardia Spice
WARNING: This story contains distressing descriptions of violence.
Ziggy Morgan Vanags received a sentence reduction for co-operating with police, but the judge still described their behaviour as "degrading and thoroughly disrespectful" to the victim.
Vanags, who uses the pronoun "they", helped bury the body of Nardia Louise Spice at bushland in Jarrahdale after she had been fatally assaulted at a Byford dog park in September 2022.
The WA Supreme Court heard Vanags was part of a plan to seriously assault Nardia Spice in a revenge attack over a 4WD vehicle she had taken.
Zachariah Brough, who hit her on the head with a pipe wrench, has already been sentenced to 21 years for her murder.
The court was told that while Vanags knew Brough would seriously assault the 40-year-old, he didn't know she would be killed.
Vanags had gone to the Byford dog park in a car with Brough's girlfriend while the killer was sitting in a Commodore with Ms Spice.
Ms Spice had been encouraged to go the dog park with the promise of drugs but Brough attacked her with the wrench after he had sex with her.
The court heard Ms Spice may have still been alive when Vanags helped put the victim, wrapped in a doona cover, into the boot of the Commodore.
Bleach was later used in an effort to remove DNA evidence.
Her body was wrapped in plastic and taken to Jarrahdale, where Vanags helped dig a hole, covering Ms Spice's body with dirt, sticks and rocks.
Vanags had also been involved in dumping the murder weapon, a shovel, electrical zip ties and other items in Mundaring Weir.
The vehicle Ms Spice had been accused of taking was set on fire.
When Vanags was arrested under suspicion of murder, they took police to the bush grave site.
They promised to give evidence against their co-accused and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Justice Amanda Forrester said Vanags knew Ms Spice was going to suffer serious harm and there was at least a possibility she would die.
"You did not back away from your participation in the plan," she said to Vanags, and said they tried to conceal or destroy evidence.
Justice Forrester said Ms Spice's six children "will forever be left with the violent manner of their mother's death".
She gave Vanags "significant credit" for co-operating with authorities, handing down a sentence of seven years with a non-parole period of five.
Speaking outside court, Nardia's father Stephen Spice said her children were doing well.
"She was caring, she went through a lot," he said.
"We tried to be there for her."
Defence lawyer Simon Watters had told the court Vanags was "very sorry for Nardia" and was "remorseful for what took place".
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