The family of Kristy Armstrong say they will turn their attention towards helping raise her three daughters following what they hope will be "closure" 13 months on from her death.
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Her accused killer and former husband, the late Troy Armstrong, had his final mention in Orange Local Court on Wednesday morning.
Armstrong was found unresponsive in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in Silverwater, Sydney on June 4, 2024 and was immediately given first aid and taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly after.
The prosecution tendered a report to the coroner noting Armstrong's death on Wednesday, July 3 in Orange.
"The process is now abated," Magistrate David Day said.
Armstrong had been facing a murder charge, two counts of attempted murder and three charges of breaking an apprehended violence order.
Mrs Armstrong's parents - Donna and Peter Thornell - have been at the court house in Orange for each mention of the case since the fatal crash on June 9, 2023.
"As far as we're concerned, this hopefully puts a closure to the criminal court (proceedings) and we just need to think of the girls now and move on," Mr Thornell said.
"There's a fantastic support structure around us."
Mrs Thornell said the Orange and Molong communities had wrapped their arms around the family, and that was now their focus too.
She said the three girls are beginning to realise "they now have no parents".
"We think reality has hit them," Mrs Thornell said.
"So the best that we can do now is guide them and give them new, happy memories.
"But we're lucky; we are a very close family and we've got good friends and even our neighbours ... they've all been there to help us out."
The Thornells sat down with the Central Western Daily last week and revealed mixed emotions following the news of their daughter's accused killer's death.
"I was so angry we did not hear that guilty verdict even though the evidence was still mounting and you could not hide from it anymore," Mrs Thornell said last week.
They reiterated that stance again on Wednesday, where family and friends also flanked Kristy's parents in Orange. They described the final court proceedings as "bittersweet".
"It would have been nice for everybody to hear exactly what he had done to Kristy over the years," Mrs Thornell said.
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
