Cameron Pearson: Man accused of Crown Towers’ murder of Alice McShera unlikely to face jury until 2026

The family of Family Court lawyer Alice McShera – allegedly murdered by a man she knew in a room at Crown Towers – have been left upset after learning the trial may not come before a jury until 2026. Cameron Pearson has denied murdering Ms McShera, 34, who was found with serious head injuries inflicted by a blunt instrument on October 30 last year. Mr Pearson — who is believed to have been her partner — was found in the same room at the luxury Burswood hotel with serious self-inflicted injuries. On the anniversary of Ms McShera’s death, Mr Pearson entered a not guilty plea. And on his first appearance in WA’s Supreme Court on Monday, prosecutor Justin Whalley revealed that the state could be ready to bring forth their case in the second half of next year. However, it was also revealed that one of Australia’s most sought after barristers – Philip Strickland SC – has been briefed to defend Mr Pearson. He is the NSW-based lawyer who prosecuted alleged police shooter Zachary Rolfe, and who has recently acted as counsel assisting in the inquest of Simone Stroble – the backpacker whose death sparked several inquiries centring on her then-boyfriend Toby Moran. His availability means he would not be free any time next year. “The family of the deceased are upset at the prospect of the significant delay,” Mr Whalley said. Justice Joe McGrath also said it would be “unfortunate” if the listing had to be put off until 2026. Eloise Barker, from Timpano Legal defending Mr Pearson, said the barrister’s availability was “extremely limited”. So dates for the trial were tentatively listed for 11 days in March 2026. WA Police will allege that Ms McShera suffered serious head injuries inside her room at Crown Towers, where she was staying while attending a legal fraternity gala. After Ms McShera’s death was confirmed last year, Inspector Geoff DeSanges said family had been attempting to contact her on the Monday following the weekend, and then contacted the hotel directly. Crown security were then called, who made the horrifying discovery. Mr Pearson was allegedly inside the room, with self-inflicted injuries, which were treated before he was released into police custody. “The lady had obviously serious injuries through head trauma and the male had injuries that we believe were self-inflicted so it would have been an extremely confronting scene,” Insp DeSanges said. “Any violence is horrendous and certainly that which occurs in a domestic environment is awful. Unfortunately, we’re seeing too much of it. One is too much. “To see it time and time again is concerning and we’re doing everything we can in a proactive way and certainly a reactive way in situations like this, to deal with it.” Ms McShera’s apparent final social media post indicated she was happy and healthy inside the room at Crown, posting that she was “loving life” in the hours before her death. Her death prompted an outpouring of tributes and grief from friends and colleagues. Ms McShera was an experienced advocate and barrister, having been admitted to practise more than ten years ago. Based in the Murray Chambers in the CBD, she had appeared in both WA’s Supreme Court and magistrates courts. Prior to that, she worked as an associate to a WA Family Court judge. In 2015, she obtained her Master of Laws from the Australian National University. She was a member of both the Family Law Practitioners Association of Western Australia and the Law Society of Western Australia. But her main area of work was in Family Court, where she specialised in family law cases, custody issues, restraining orders and child support.