‘I heard the lady scream’: Witnesses recall night of woman’s alleged murder

A witness has testified to being woken by screams and seeing a crying woman being shot in her driveway, as two brothers accused of murder were committed to stand trial.

Chloe Jade Mason, 23, died of gunshot wounds days before Christmas 2024 at Caboolture, north of Brisbane.

Marsden meat worker Codye Ian Thomson, 31, and Caboolture plasterer Kaine Raymond Thomson-Gleeson, 33, have been charged with murder.

The brothers – who were known to Mason – faced Caboolture Magistrates Court on Tuesday for a committal hearing.

Doris Jones testified she was in bed at 11.54pm on December 21 and looked out her window when she heard a woman scream.

She saw a woman being dragged by two men, including one armed with a machete, on the street about 50 metres away, the court was told.

“I could not see the faces – I just saw two men; one from behind and one from the front,” Jones said.

The woman was in a squatting position between the two men and was crying, she said.

She testified the group moved toward her window and she heard a gunshot.

“She tried to run away from them,” Jones said, adding that she heard further shots and then “just saw her drop right in front of my window”.

The brothers were arrested weeks after the murder and faced the court on Tuesday.

Deborah McDonald testified she was leaving a tavern when she heard gunshots and saw shadowy figures.

“I heard a couple of pops. I thought it was firecrackers. I heard the lady scream,” she said.

McDonald said she was affected by alcohol at the time and quickly left the scene as she was frightened.

Ken Mackenzie, solicitor for Thomson-Gleeson, previously claimed outside court that his client acted in response to an armed threat from Mason.

Ethan James Preston, who was living in the home where the incident started, testified he was not present at the time.

“Did you ever see Chloe with a gun?” Thomson’s defence barrister Jack Kennedy asked on cross-examination.

“No,” Preston said.

Preston withdrew parts of his prior statement to police as he had “drug psychosis” at the time.

Robert Cornwall testified he made statements to police about Mason having either a gun or ammunition but was no longer certain of his claims.

“I was fried off my guts ... using meth,” he said.

Wood committed both brothers to stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court on the charge of murder.

Both men said “no” when asked if they wanted to say anything in response or enter a plea.

Supporters of the brothers sat in court and blew them kisses during the committal hearing.

There were no applications for bail and the pair were returned to custody.

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