RICHARD ‘Rick’ Thorburn, foster father to Tialeigh Palmer, has been committed to stand trial for the murder of the Logan schoolgirl.
A successful registry committal application was processed for the murder charge at Beenleigh Magistrates Court this week. One additional count of misconduct with a corpse by interfering was granted.
It will be alleged that Mr Thorburn, 57, killed 12-year-old Tiahleigh in October 2015.
Miss Palmer’s badly decomposed body was found by fishermen on the banks of the Pimpama River on the Gold Coast in November 2015, just hours after a missing person's alert was issued.
She lived with her foster family for 10 months at their two-hectare property at Chambers Flat.
Mr Thorburn - a former truck driver and muscle-car enthusiast - operated a food truck which he named Nothing Healthy Here. With his two sons, he drove to festivals and other events around Logan selling hot dogs, hot jam doughnuts, churros and pancakes from the van.
While she lived with the Thorburns, Tialeigh attended Marsden State High School.
Police allege she was killed at the Thorburn’s four-bedroom, brick veneer home on October 29, 2015, before her body was dumped 30 kilometres away.
The murder trial will take place at the Brisbane Supreme Court on a future date.
- with Jorge Branco
