Who is Lachlan Young, the ex-partner who confessed to Hannah McGuire's murder?
Lachlan Young is the ex-partner who confessed to murdering Hannah McGuire, whose burned body was found in a barrel near Ballarat, Victoria. He confessed to the killing days after McGuire was reported missing, turning a quiet community’s concern into horror.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Lachlan Young killed Hannah McGuire, his ex-girlfriend, during an argument, disposed of her body by setting fire to her car, and wrote fake messages about taking her life.
- Lachlan Young, who is 23 years old as of July 2025 and from Ballarat, Victoria, is said to be a heavy drinker who has a past of being violent in relationships.
- According to the trial evidence, Young was a concreter at the time of the crime.
- Young first pled guilty to involuntary killing but modified his plea to murder on July 18, 2025, resulting in the jury's dismissal.
- He is being held on a different sexual assault charge that has nothing to do with McGuire until after the murder plea.
Lachlan Young's profile summary
| Full name | Lachlan Young |
| Nickname | Lachie |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 2002 |
| Age | 23 (as of 2025) |
| Place of birth | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Father | Anthony Young |
| Siblings | One sister |
Lachlan Young and Hannah's troubled relationship
Hannah McGuire and Lachlan Young sustained a turbulent relationship lasting several years, despite escalating episodes of abuse. McGuire (aged 23 at the time of death) from Clunes, worked as an educational support worker and cricket player.
Source: UGC
In 2023, she obtained intervention orders against Young about stalking, threats, and intimidation, including beeping his horn aggressively when following her. McGuire admitted that she was afraid of being victimised again when the relationship was over, stating an example when he called her 129 times in 24 hours.
There were also entangled property issues, and Young was afraid to lose his assets, which led to the deadly April 2024 fight. McGuire's parents remembered frantic calls when he had violent episodes, which emphasised the constant intervention of the family.
How Young's intentions were known
The defendant confided in his workmate, Benjamin O'Keefe, some of his evil intentions, such as to incapacitate McGuire with drugs and to cause an accident in her car by crashing into it, taking advantage of the fact that his job took him close to isolated places.
O'Keefe later testified that, not knowing the car had any occupants, he helped remove the vehicle and challenged Young over his purported accusation of the coworker.
Even coworkers noticed a dramatic discrepancy between Young and his reliability in the workplace and the personal issues, especially habitual alcohol abuse, that were becoming more and more obvious in his behaviour.
The same trade that Young made his living from provided the resources needed to hide the crime, such as easy access to petrol and ignition systems.
Hannah McGuire's murder
Lachlan Young, Hannah McGuire's killer, planned the murder with a drug plan and intentionally crashed her car. He suffocated McGuire during an argument and then burned her body in her Mitsubishi Triton.
Source: UGC
Young withdrew $7,000 from McGuire's account and sent notes about taking her life. The investigation revealed discrepancies at the fire scene and inconsistencies in Young's appearance, which led to his motive for the crime.
Lachlan Young's trial
On July 9 2025, Lachlan Young's trial in the Ballarat Supreme Court, a case originally slated to take five weeks, included visits to the crime scene, including the Sebastopol home and the Scarsdale land.
Young had initially pleaded guilty to involuntary killing, with a story of an accidental death that came about because of a fight; he pleaded guilty to murder on the eighth day of proceedings, after submissions on the effect on the family.
The prosecutors argued that it was premeditated because O'Keefe had received notes that read, Roofie McGuire.
Witnesses applauded the change of plea, and Justice James Elliott praised the jury for their efforts. Sentencing has been adjourned to the end of the July 25 mention, when a separate hearing on a sexual assault charge is planned in August 2025.
Anthony, the father of Young, who is undergoing an unrelated imprisonment term, observed some of the trial sessions.
Aftermath and broader implications
Hannah's family publicly honoured her on social media as a "sweet girl," as they held memorial sessions at their Clunes pub in the face of extreme sorrow.
Advocacy groups, in their turn, use her case to advocate for more effective intervention orders and increased awareness of coercive control with references to the high rates of domestic homicides in Australia.
At the same time, the unrelated charge of sexual assault against Young in 2024, but publicly disclosed only afterwards to avoid bias in his subsequent plea, was made known. The charge, loaded with a lengthy suppression order, has not been widely publicised.
The conviction of the father of Young, in 2024, of aggravated burglary, a case that involved his dog and Lachlan McGuire, further contextualises the family environment as regards aggression. The citizens' vigil remains in Ballarat as the family and friends of McGuire grieve and lobby for effective changes.
Lachlan Young's girlfriend
Hannah McGuire was Lachlan Young's girlfriend at the time, but they had broken up before her death. McGuire was also physically abused to the point that intervention orders had to be issued.
FAQs about Lachlan Young
- Who is Lachlan Young's girlfriend? Hannah McGuire, a 23-year-old from Clunes, Victoria, was Lachlan Young's lover. They had a complicated relationship until their split and her death in April 2024.
- What does Lachlan Young do for a living? Lachlan Young worked as a concreter on building projects across Ballarat.
- What happened with Hannah McGuire and Lachlan Young? Lachlan and Hannah's relationship included abuse and intervention orders, and it ended with Young killing McGuire over property concerns.
- Who killed Hannah McGuire? Hannah McGuire's murderer is her ex-partner, Lachlan Young. He admitted to suffocating her and staging a self-inflicted death.
- What is the current status of Lachlan Young's trial? The trial concluded with Young's guilty plea to murder on July 18, 2025; the sentencing will take place after the July 25 mention.
- What did Lachlan Young tell his coworker, Benjamin O'Keefe? Young stated that he planned to use drugs to incapacitate McGuire and then destroy her car to conceal evidence.
- How did Lachlan Young kill Hanah McGuire? Young suffocated McGuire after an argument before driving and burning her body in her car to conceal his crime.
Final word
The confession of Lachlan Young to murdering Hannah McGuire highlights the dangerous effects of domestic abuse and coercive control, thus necessitating a change in the system. As the sentencing looms and more charges are still possible, McGuire's loved ones try to find comfort in their pain.
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