That day, her brother John Burke had called her from his home in Strathmerton in northern Victoria, telling her about his plans for the weekend.
The 73-year-old postmaster lived alone at the back of the town’s post office and would often pop into the local service station to chat with the attendant.
On August 8, 2021, an intoxicated Troy Matthew Maskell, 47, of Numurkah, walked into the store around midnight with his partner and daughter, whom Mr Burke greeted as he chatted to staff.
Maskell's partner took offence at Mr Burke speaking to a child with her, before Maskell picked up a one-litre bottle of sports drink and threw it at Mr Burke's head, causing him to fall.
The unprovoked attack continued as Maskell walked over to Mr Burke to kick him as he lay on a tiled floor.
Mr Burke died in hospital 11 weeks later from a brain injury.
"Life has changed," Ms Heppell told the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday, February 26.
"One minute John was alive, next he was lying paralysed, unable to communicate, locked in his frozen body."
A jury on Wednesday found Maskell guilty of manslaughter for a second time in a retrial of his unprovoked attack on Mr Burke.
Ms Heppell detailed the “horrible rollercoaster ride of emotions” four and a half years since her beloved brother's death that has left her damaged emotionally and psychologically.
"Before all this, I was so spontaneous, so positive. I achieved so much, and I really liked me. Not now," she said.
"I am relieved that the verdict was guilty, but I’m not happy."
She now holds on to a message of support sent to her shy, quiet and studious brother by a little girl: “Dear John, you are the best postmaster ever. You were our favourite.”
“John’s my brother, and I love him ... I just wish he was here,” she said.
Maskell was jailed for eight years in 2023, with a non-parole period of five, after being found guilty of manslaughter in his first trial over Mr Burke’s death.
He successfully appealed his convictions, with the Victorian Court of Appeal finding there had been a substantial miscarriage of justice and ordering a fresh trial in July 2025.
In a plea hearing on Thursday, Maskell’s barrister urged Justice James Elliott to account for the delay and disruption since his sentence from the initial trial.
“Nearly five years since the offence, Mr Maskell doesn't know his sentence. He's had that hanging over him,” she said.
She also told of the hardship his family faced, including his teenage daughter for whom he had sole responsibility.
Crown prosecutor Erin Ramsey argued Maskell’s “thuggish and callous actions” placed his offending at a relatively high level of offending.
She also said he initially didn’t show remorse for his actions, but the defence argued Maskell had expressed concern and apologised during his first two police interviews.
Justice Elliott will hand down his sentence at a later date.
— with AAP
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