A 16-year-old boy has been charged with killing his 35-year-old mother and trying to kill his 12-year-old sister at their home in Bentley, a suburb in Perth's south-east, on Tuesday 21 July 2026.

Police arrived at the house on Tuesday morning after reports of the incident. Officers found the mother dead at the scene. The 12-year-old girl had been stabbed but managed to run from the house to a nearby highway to get help. People nearby gave her first aid before an ambulance took her to Perth Children's Hospital, where she remains in a critical but stable condition The Guardian.

The boy was due to appear in the Perth Children's Court on Wednesday 22 July 2026. WA Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating what happened WA Police.

Authorities are treating the case as a suspected family violence homicide, which means a killing that happens within a family or domestic relationship. Multiple news outlets, including ABC News, 7News, and Nine News, reported this classification ABC News.

WA Police acting inspector Jessica Securo said the incident had shocked the community and shared her thoughts for the family, particularly the 12-year-old girl The Guardian.

Under Western Australian law, the charge of "attempting to unlawfully kill" is different from a standard attempted murder charge. It has its own set of legal rules. In this case, prosecutors have decided that what allegedly happened to the sister meets the requirements for this specific charge.

Because the accused is 16, the case is being heard in the Perth Children's Court. This court focuses more on rehabilitation, which means helping a young person change their behaviour, rather than only punishing them. Western Australian law also says the boy's name and identifying details cannot be published, because he is under 18. The case will go through a system that tries to balance community safety, how serious the alleged crime is, and the fact that adolescents are still developing.

The bystanders who gave first aid to the 12-year-old girl before paramedics arrived may have played an important part in keeping her alive. She was able to run from the house to a nearby road despite her injuries, which means the area had enough people around for someone to step in and help.

Family violence homicide is a category of crime that Australian police and policymakers have identified as an ongoing and serious problem. These are killings where the person who commits the crime and the victim are related or in a domestic relationship, and they usually happen inside the home. In this case, both the mother who died and the sister who was injured were immediate family members of the accused.

The wider picture here is that this case sits within a national conversation about family violence in Australia. Governments and police forces across the country have repeatedly said this type of crime needs sustained attention. When the accused is a teenager, the justice system faces added complexity, because it must consider public safety alongside the fact that young people's brains and decision-making are still developing.

The Homicide Squad investigation is ongoing and the accused is now before the court. The 12-year-old girl's condition is the most immediate concern for hospital staff, and how she recovers may affect what further charges or evidence come forward as the case continues.