[2] On 11 April 2011, Freeman was sentenced to life in prison for the murder with a minimum non-parole period of 32 years.
[3] At approximately 9:15 am on 29 January 2009, Freeman, en route to Melbourne from his parents' home at Aireys Inlet, pulled his white Toyota Land Cruiser 4WD into the then-emergency stopping lane on the West Gate Bridge.
He got out of the vehicle, removed his daughter from the back seat, took her over to the railing and dropped her 58 metres (190 feet) into the water below.
[5] It is thought the incident led to the subsequent decision to place anti-suicide barriers along the whole length of the West Gate Bridge.
Justice Paul Coghlan called the killing a "fundamental breach of trust", saying "What Darcey's last thoughts might have been does not bear thinking about, and her death must have been a painful and protracted one".