Guy Haymes was killed in February of last year. Photo: NSW Police
The killer of a former professional surfer in Manly, Australia, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The tragic death was the result of a dispute over just $50 that turned brutally violent, as ABC News reports.
On February 27, 2024, Guy Haymes was found at an apartment complex in Manly with critical head injuries. Two weeks later, he died in Royal North Shore Hospital. Soon after, detectives Charged Jayson Brett Dal Molin, 42, with murder, two counts of taking or detaining a person with intent to obtain advantage, and one count of taking or detaining a person occasioning actual bodily harm.
Haymes, 59, affectionately nicknamed “Creature,” was a well-known member of the Northern Beaches surfing community. A former competitor, he once surfed in the Rip Curl Shield in the 1980s. According to court documents, he also suffered from poor heart function and had a pacemaker.
“Guy was fun-loving, and sociable, and he got along with everyone. He was very warm, and welcomed people into the community with open arms,” his brother Mark Haymes told ABC.
According to court documents, Molin went to a friend’s apartment to buy marijuana, which he smoked before falling asleep. Later, he accused Haymes and two other men of stealing $50 which he claimed to have lost. He then locked the apartment door, forced Haymes to take off his clothes to prove he did not have the money hidden on his person, then repeatedly hit him on the head. Despite the protests of the other men, Molin did not stop until one of them gave him $50 of their own. One of the men then called paramedics.
Last week, Molin pleaded guilty to manslaughter – accepting responsibility for killing Haymes by repeatedly striking him and then failing to call for help. In turn, several other charges, including murder, were withdrawn. The case will now be moved to the District Court for sentencing.
