'Angry we did not hear that guilty verdict': Kristy Armstrong's parents call for change

Just a few hundred metres down the road in Speedy Street, Molong is another shrine to the 35-year-old, set up at the site of the fatal crash which claimed her life on June 9, 2023.

Kristy's former partner and father to their children, Troy Armstrong, was driving a car which ran her and two passengers off the road and ultimately killed her.

It was alleged the 36-year-old was driving at about 140km/h when he rammed into his estranged wife.

We use the word alleged because Armstrong's case was still before the courts at the time his body was found in a cell at Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in Silverwater, Sydney on June 4, 2024.

Kristy's mum, Donna Thornell, was sitting at the dining table when a police officer told her the news of Armstrong's death.

"I said please tell me someone did it to him, and (the officer) went 'no'," Mrs Thornell recalled.

"That bastard, selfish to the end. Once again he had to have control."

Mixed emotions followed.

"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.

"I have to keep telling myself we can't change what he did. We have to keep looking toward a future. At least all the witnesses, they don't have to go through that again."

At the time of his death, Armstrong was yet to enter a plea for one charge of murder and two charges of attempted murder.

Had he pleaded guilty and received a reduced sentence as a result, "angry" is how Mrs Armstrong would have felt.

Kristy's father, Peter Thornell, believes the abuse his daughter suffered dated back a decade.

Rather than physical, the abuse was about their finances to start.

"Their relationship, he's always been about money. It's always about financial control," Mr Thornell said.

"Kristy got the bare minimum to look after the girls. Quite often we'd have to help her out with dancing fees and anything else."

In January 2024, a Senate Inquiry heard that women trying to escape domestic violence were being undermined by compulsory income management.

Armstrong was described by his former father-in-law as a "typical, narcissistic person".

"People on the outside thought he was a doting dad and would do anything for anybody, but we know what happens behind closed doors," Mr Thornell added.

"He wasn't known to the police, wasn't on parole. How often do people like that fly under the radar and get away with it."

The loving father recalled a time shortly after his daughter's marriage in 2011 when Kristy bought herself a car, something she was "quite proud of".

"That annoyed the crap out of him," he said of Armstrong.

Kristy had an AVO out against Armstrong at the time of her death.

In fact, breaching that AVO was one of the charges he was facing.

Kristy's parents feel like the system let down their daughter.

"Once an AVO is issued, from what we can see there is no follow up," Mr Thornell said.

"There's no checking on both sides and their movements. Not necessarily the police, everyone involved."

Mrs Thornell took those thoughts even further.

"I don't even know why an AVO is issued because if the perpetrator wants to get the woman, they're going to regardless," she added.

Mrs Thornell is often asked what needs to change.

For starters, she believes police need more training and more domestic violence services are a must.

She also believes the conversation can start much, much earlier.

"If your son, uncle, nephew, workmate is being a dick, tell them to pull their head in and check in on the female," Mrs Thornell added.

What continues to hurt Kristy's parents is the "small minority" of those who defend Armstrong's actions.

Just a few weeks ago, Mr Thornell was fixing up the Speedy Street memorial when a man he'd never seen before approached him.

"He basically came out and said there were two sides to every story," Mr Thornell said.

Nine months it took the family to drive past the scene of the crash.

Even to this day, they'll often go the long way around just to get into town.

What keeps them going are their grandchildren.

"Kristy brought them up to be self-reliant which they are," Mr Thornell added.

"They're the reason we get out of bed."

With no guilty verdict to look forward to, what is it that this heart-broken couple hope to achieve by speaking out?

"Even if we can save one life by telling our story, we've probably done our job," Mr Thornell said.