Swingers jailed for Rockefeller killing

Multi-millionaire Herman Rockefeller suffered a "totally unnecessary death" at the hands of his swinging killers, a Victorian judge said as he jailed the pair on Wednesday.

Mario Schembri, 58, and Bernadette Denny, 42, were jailed for between seven and nine years over the businessman's horrifying death in January after a swingers' meeting went awry.

But Victorian Supreme Court Justice Terry Forrest said Mr Rockefeller's wife would endure a life sentence over the couple's actions, which had devastated the entire Rockefeller family.

"The damage you have caused to a decent honourable family is incalculable," he said.

Mr Rockefeller, who had close links to New Zealand, was bashed, dismembered and his remains burnt after turning up to Denny's unit at Hadfield in Melbourne's north on January 21.

When the Harvard graduate with a dark double life failed to bring along a partner to have sex with the couple as planned, a fight ensued.

Mr Rockefeller fell, hit his head and died.

Schembri then dismembered his body with a chainsaw and burnt it in a 44-gallon drum.

Justice Forrest accepted that Mr Rockefeller's death arose spontaneously because the couple believed he was trying to take advantage of them.

But, he said, without Schembri's "explosive loss of control" the offence would not have happened.

Schembri was jailed for nine years, with a minimum of seven, and Denny for seven years, with a minimum of five, after they pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Denny sobbed upon learning of her jail term.

Mr Rockefeller met his killers after he advertised in a swingers magazine to have sex with strangers using the alias Andy Kingston.

He had placed 34 similar ads in similar publications since 2000.

Justice Forrest said it was not the court's role to pass judgment at Mr Rockefeller's, Denny's and Schembri's life choices.

"The upshot of the choices you made, however, is that the scene was set for the totally unnecessary death of a man," he said.

"His parents, wife and children are devastated. The harm that you have caused them is profound. They will always carry some legacy of it, and so will you."

The judge said that while Denny's overall moral culpability was less than Schembri's, it was still considerable.

He said that while Schembri detained Mr Rockefeller and probably delivered all the heavy blows, Denny helped and encouraged him.

She also helped Schembri buy the chainsaw from Bunnings that he used to dismember Mr Rockefeller, as well as other equipment used to hide evidence.

Justice Forrest said CCTV footage showed Schembri testing the chainsaw for weight and balance, "much as a cricketer might sample a bat for pick up and grip".

He said Denny lied remorselessly to police, telling them they dumped Mr Rockefeller in central Victoria still alive.

She even accompanied police to the supposed spot, pretending to help as they searched for him, despite knowing he had been dismembered and burnt.

Although the couple did travel to Heathcote, they returned Mr Rockefeller's body to Hadfield.

The pair later made admissions to police.

Mr Rockefeller's wife Vicky Rockefeller appeared emotionless during the hearing.

A psychological report read in court said the trauma of the events constituted a life sentence.

"She is isolated, ... defined by her husband's death, horrendous disposal of his body and the discovery of his secret life," it said.

She did not comment to reporters.

- AAP