Three Killings in NSW in 12 Hours: What Police Say So Far
Three men have been charged with domestic violence-related murder after three women died in separate incidents across New South Wales within about 12 hours on Saturday, police accounts reported by The Guardian say. In NSW, that label means police allege the killing happened in a domestic or family violence context.
The first death was reported in the inland city of Wagga Wagga. A 23-year-old woman was found with fatal stab wounds inside a home in Kooringal at about 11:45am on Saturday, according to ABC News. Police said the woman and a 31-year-old man had been in a relationship. The man was arrested at another home in Wagga Wagga almost nine hours later. He was later charged with murder. He was due to appear in court on Sunday.
The second incident occurred in Sydney's east. Police were called to a unit at Bondi Beach at about 5:15pm on Saturday. Inside, they found an elderly woman with stab wounds. She died at the scene despite treatment by paramedics. Police identified her as a woman aged in her 90s. ABC News reported her age as 90. A 47-year-old man was arrested at the unit. He was charged with domestic violence-related murder. He was refused bail, meaning he was kept in custody, and was due to appear in court on Sunday.
The third death was reported in the Northern Tablelands. Police were called to reports of a domestic violence incident at Mole River at about 9:35pm on Saturday. Investigators believe a 37-year-old man entered a property there and attempted to steal a vehicle before assaulting a 74-year-old male resident. Officers then searched a neighbouring property. They found the body of a woman in her 70s. She was yet to be formally identified. Part of the house had been damaged by fire.
The 37-year-old suspect was taken to Tenterfield police station. He was charged with murder on Sunday. Police will allege in court that he and the woman were known to each other. He was refused bail to appear before court on Monday.
The NSW Police Force issued separate media releases titled "Man charged with domestic violence murder - Bondi Beach", "Man arrested following death of woman - Mole River" and "Man arrested after woman fatally stabbed - Wagga Wagga". The charges remain before the courts. Police have not released further detail on the relationships in the Bondi Beach and Mole River cases beyond what officers intend to allege.
Political leaders responded on Sunday. NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane said she was horrified by the deaths. Premier Chris Minns described the crimes as shocking and said families were dealing with unimaginable grief.
The broader context here is procedural as much as criminal. Three unrelated homicide investigations, three custody decisions and three initial court appearances are now running in parallel across widely separated areas, like three separate tracks starting on the same weekend. The immediate questions are practical: the bail determinations already made in two cases, the brief of evidence — the file of statements and exhibits — police will present in the Wagga Wagga and Bondi Beach mentions, and the forensic and identification work still outstanding at Mole River, including the cause of the fire and the formal identification of the deceased. How those early court hearings frame the allegations will shape what follows.
