[1] Silva, who was of Sinhalese descent, worked as a farmhand on a property owned by Hong Kong-born[2] Charles Ching at Alligator Creek, about 20 miles (32 km) from Mackay, Queensland.

He told a neighbour that he would get a plot of land from Charlie Ching by Christmas and he would build a house to start a family.

The bodies of Agnes, Maud, Hugh, and Winnie were found inside the house piled under a rug.

Mother Agnes and eldest daughter Maud had been shot by a revolver and a muzzle-loading rifle, while the boy and the baby had their skulls smashed against the wall.

[2] The bodies of Teddy and Dolly Ching were found a mile and a half away; both had been shot and their skulls smashed in.

Silva was given a mandatory death sentence and hanged at Boggo Road Gaol in Dutton Park, Brisbane, on 10 June 1912.

In his final moments, Silva repeatedly quoted passages from the Bible in an attempt to delay his execution until prison authorities told him to stop.