Overview
- Pye received life with a 34-year non-parole period, with the WA Supreme Court handing down the sentence Wednesday.
- Prosecutors said he hired ex‑army reservist Benjamin Luke Johnston, who shot Martin from about 365 metres with a .308 rifle at Perth Motorplex in December 2020.
- The single round killed Martin and wounded his son‑in‑law, with roughly 2,000 people at the family drag‑racing event, including a five‑year‑old seated behind.
- Justice Joseph McGrath called Pye the architect of a calculated, contractual killing, and police surveillance videos showing meetings with the shooter were key evidence.
- Defense lawyer Paul Holmes said Pye will appeal, while reports differ on the cash paid to Johnston for the hit, with figures between $100,000 and $150,000, and the gunman is serving a reduced 20‑year term after cooperating.