The four men responsible for his murder were sentenced amid mocking taunts in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday.
Then came abuse by one of the four killers.
The scenes erupted on a day of emotion in a packed court, with impassioned victim impact statements as well as tears and anger from supporters of the sentenced men.
Three men were sentenced to an 18-year minimum non-parole period, and a fourth to 17 years, for murdering Mr McFarlane (35) at his Elderslie house, inland from Oamaru, in September 2013.
In December last year the four were found guilty of the murder of the farm worker.
Mr McFarlane was killed following a brutal beating by the four men, his death resulting in a gruelling nine-week trial in Dunedin late last year, in which all the accused were found guilty.
In victim impact statements, Mr McFarlane's mother, Kathleen Ann Rowe, said she could not put into words the hurt and devastation caused by a life taken ''in such an evil way''.
She had not attended the court case last year so she would not be left with images ''of you evil people in my head''.
Mr McFarlane's former wife, Alysha Marie Collins, mother of his children, aged 10 and 13, told of having to explain to her children their father had died.
The murder had affected her children, and left her with sleepless nights as she tried to imagine how Mr McFarlane would have felt on the night of his death.
Mr McFarlane's sister, Kim Julius, told the men they had ''destroyed my family''.
''My brother's life was worth more than just a bag of weed and a car,'' she said, referring to items stolen that night.
''No-one should go through what you have caused us.''
She spoke of watching the accused men ''laugh and joke'' at the trial.
''I will never, ever, forgive any of you.''
Crown counsel Lisa Preston said the men were acting as a group in a brutal attack on ''a victim outnumbered and isolated''.
They had consumed alcohol and drugs and ''ended up killing a man''.
She raised section 104 of the Sentencing Act, which allows a minimum period of imprisonment of 17 years for murder, where factors include unlawful entry, murder committed in the course of another serious offence, or a high level of brutality, cruelty, depravity or callousness.
Lawyers for the men argued against that sentence, suggested their clients played a lesser role in the murder, and were remorseful.
But a longer sentence began to look likely, as Justice David Gendall repeatedly used the words ''callous'' and ''brutal''.
In his preamble, he told the families there was nothing he could say or do that could change what had happened.
He told the men the attack was ''particularly brutal and ferocious - you were all involved in it''.
''You all sought to minimise your involvement,'' Justice Gendall said.
The jury had not accepted that, and neither did he.
None of the offenders had tried to stop the attack, or called emergency services to save Mr McFarlane's life, and all had attempted to get rid of the footwear and clothing they were wearing.
Justice Gendall said the level of violence was extreme and ''completely unprovoked''.
''You then literally left him for dead.''
He found little in the way of mitigating circumstances.
Boskell, Cummings and Ryan Geary-Smart were ''central antagonists,'' and each received an 18-year non-parole minimum sentence.
Justice Gendall said he did not consider Jacob Geary-Smart ''a central player'', though he had been found guilty of murder.
He was sentenced to a 17-year minimum non-parole sentence.
Stephanie McCormack had helped the men avoid police and get rid of evidence by driving them on the night.
She was sentenced to eight months' home detention.
Supporters of the victim yelled ''bye'', and mocked the five as they were taken from the court.
Ryan Geary-Smart turned and responded "f ... you'', and ''f ... the world''.
