Mario Schembri

Little has been publicly disclosed about Mario Schembri's early life, education, employment or family background prior to the events surrounding the death of Herman Rockefeller.

At the time of the offence, Schembri was living with his partner, Bernadette Denny, at a home in Hadfield, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The pair participated in the swingers lifestyle and had arranged to meet Herman Rockefeller after corresponding through a swingers magazine.

On the night of 21 January 2010, Herman Rockefeller travelled from Melbourne Airport to Schembri and Denny's home after returning from an interstate business trip.

Rockefeller had arranged to meet the couple for a sexual encounter, allegedly promising to bring a female partner. When he arrived alone, an argument developed between Rockefeller and Schembri. The confrontation quickly escalated into a physical fight during which Schembri repeatedly punched Rockefeller. Rockefeller fell, suffered fatal injuries, and died at the scene.

Rather than contacting emergency services, Schembri and Denny attempted to conceal the death. Schembri purchased a chainsaw and other equipment, dismembered Rockefeller's body, and burned the remains in a 44-gallon drum before disposing of them. The gruesome efforts to destroy evidence became one of the most disturbing aspects of the case.

The killing was not found to be a planned homicide but resulted from a spontaneous assault during a confrontation.

Following Rockefeller's death, Schembri undertook extensive efforts to conceal the crime by:

• Dismembering the body using a chainsaw.
• Burning the remains in a metal drum.
• Attempting to dispose of the evidence.

The post-mortem mutilation and destruction of the body were treated by the court as significant aggravating features during sentencing.

After Rockefeller was reported missing, Victoria Police launched a major homicide investigation.

Schembri and Bernadette Denny were interviewed by detectives and admitted involvement in the fatal confrontation. Schembri later directed investigators to locations associated with the disposal of Rockefeller's remains.

Both were initially charged with murder before later pleading guilty to manslaughter after prosecutors accepted the killing occurred during an unlawful and dangerous assault rather than a premeditated murder.

In July 2010, Mario Schembri pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

On 8 September 2010, the Supreme Court of Victoria sentenced him to nine years' imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of seven years.

Justice Terry Forrest described the post-mortem dismemberment of Herman Rockefeller's body as having caused profound additional trauma to the victim's family while accepting that the fatal assault itself had been spontaneous rather than planned.

The Herman Rockefeller case attracted extensive media attention because Rockefeller, a successful Melbourne businessman, had secretly arranged the meeting through the swingers community without his family's knowledge.

Although originally charged with murder, Schembri ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter after prosecutors accepted the circumstances surrounding the fatal fight.

The case remains notable in Australian criminal history because of the shocking post-mortem dismemberment and burning of Rockefeller's body.