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The family of murdered Tamworth-based environmental officer Glen Turner say the death of his convicted killer is a time of mixed emotions.
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Ian Robert Turnbull, 82, died on Monday, after being taken to a Sydney hospital earlier.
In a statement to Fairfax Media, Corrective Services NSW confirmed the 82-year-old had died in custody.
“CSNSW can confirm that an 82-year-old inmate died at Prince of Wales Hospital. He had a terminal illness,” the spokesperson said.
Glen Turner’s sister Fran Pearce said it was ‘disappointing’ that Turnbull had died without showing remorse for his actions.
"It is a time of mixed emotions for our family,” Ms Pearce said on behalf of the family.
“We are relieved that the judicial process is now at an end.
“It is disappointing that the murderer died so early in his sentence without ever demonstrating any remorse for his actions and without empathy for the damage he caused to our family, friends and peers."
Turnbull was sentenced to a de facto life sentence of 35 years behind bars for the killing of Mr Turner, who was working as a compliance officer for the Office of Environment (OEH) near Moree in 2014.
Last year, Justice Peter Johnson sentenced Turnbull to a minimum of 24 years in jail for the "terrifying and shattering" murder of Mr Turner on a remote laneway, at Croppa Creek on July 29, 2014.
In the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney, Justice Johnson said it was a de facto life sentence for the elderly farmer, who had a life expectancy of just eight years in jail.
Turnbull was found guilty of murder in 2016 after a five-week trial where the jury heard the shooting followed years of tension over illegal land-clearing.
Turnbull pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of substantial impairment due to mental illness, but the jury rejected Turnbull's defence, after one day of deliberations.
They found him guilty of the more substantial charge of murder.