A 60-year-old Australian man named Luke Samouel Simon pleaded guilty to murdering his future son-in-law in February 2023. Simon allegedly carried out the murder by luring 38-year-old Damien Conlon into his house. He forced him to get on his knees, and then shot him dead in his home in Oberon.
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News.com.au detailed that Conlon, an Irish man, was months away from getting married to Simon's daughter, Linda. In February 2023, however, Simon lured Conlon into his house. There, Simon, who is an army veteran, told Conlon to get on his knees and "apologize." Allegedly, Simon told Conlon "bye-bye Damien," and then proceeded to shoot him in the head, killing him on the spot.
Reportedly, days before the fatal shooting took place, Luke Samouel Simon visited his gun safe continuously. Footage of said visits was played in court. Judge Sarah McNaughton called the footage "complicated and partly problematic evidence." McNaughton stated that it was unclear whether Simon was taking the pistol or just its cover when visiting his gun safe.
In court, Linda Simon confronted her father, labeling him a coward.
"You couldn't face Damian like a man and have a conversation with him like a human being," Linda told his father, according to The Irish Mirror. "You only had one intention in mind when you lured him into your home and that was that Damien would not be alive after he entered your house."
Linda would then address Judge McNaughton, asking her to jail her father. "Please give Damien the justice he deserves so his soul may be at rest with his killer behind bars," Linda said.
Luke Samouel Simon pleaded guilty to the murder. He will be sentenced in April, according to PEOPLE.
A Terrible Shock
While Simon's sentencing is pending, Linda Simon and the rest of her family have struggled with Damien Conlon's violent death.
"We had deposits paid on the venue, the church and everything, but unfortunately that will never be," Linda told the Irish Mirror. "That is the hardest part, all the plans we had for the future and watching our children grow up without him. We just take it day by day now, that is all we can do."
Conlon's brother, John, spoke with the Irish Independent back in 2023. He told the outlet that the family was left devastated after they found out about Damien's death.
"It was a terrible shock to all our family," John said. "It really didn't hit me until about two days after. And the fact that he was so far away makes it even harder to deal with."
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help fund a memorial fund. The donations also helped cover Linda's travels back and forth from Ireland, as she mourned with Conlon's family.
"Damien was a beacon of love, humor, strength, loyalty, and kindness," reads the GoFundMe. "His loss has left a noticeable void in the Conlon household and in the hearts of all those who loved him."
