Strategy

DecoNetwork CEO Charged With 1997 Murder

DecoNetwork CEO Charged With 1997 Murder

The CEO of DecoNetwork, a software company for apparel decorators, was charged on June 27 with the 1997 murder of his business partner, according to reports in Australian media. Neil Pentland has resigned from his position, and his son Adam Pentland, formerly the global operations manager, has assumed the top role, DecoNetwork wrote in a statement on its website.

Philip Carlyle was shot four times in the head in his Robina, Australia, computing business 20 years ago, reports the Courier Mail, a Brisbane newspaper. His body was discovered by a security guard. The murder was one of the region’s biggest cold case mysteries. Police charged Neil Pentland, 68, with the murder. His wife, Dianne, was charged with making a misleading statement. John Hitchen, 66, who allegedly disposed of the gun, was charged with accessory after the fact and having an unsecured weapon.

Pentland’s lawyer Andrew Moloney made no application for bail, and the case is adjourned until July 13, according to the Courier Mail. In its online statement, DecoNetwork notes that “Mr. Pentland maintains his innocence of any involvement in the matter.” The killing occurred before the founding of DecoNetwork.

DecoNetwork also stressed that the charges and subsequent trial will not affect its operations or financial stability. “DecoNetwork is owned by a broad range of investors,” according to the online statement. “DecoNetwork has a deep and wide base of experience in the information technology and apparel decoration industries.”

Neil Pentland is one of the co-founders of DecoNetwork. According to the company’s board of director’s page, Pentland has been in the IT industry since 1982, when he started a computing consulting business. In 1996, he founded Golden Orb Technologies with his wife and three sons. That company developed an award-winning e-commerce application called website weaver in 1997. Another award-winning application, Pikipimp, would eventually evolve into DecoNetwork, according to the blurb. The board of directors page has been removed from DecoNetwork’s website, though a June 6 cached version is available via Google.