A Melbourne community is in shock after the brutal killing of a pregnant woman and her partner, who was decapitated.
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Police allege that Athena Georgopoulos, 39, and her partner Andrew Gunn, 50, were murdered inside their Mount Waverley unit on Monday (August 11) night, with 34-year-old Ross Judd, a homeless man known locally for walking two German Shepherds, now charged with two counts of murder.
Surveillance footage obtained by 7News shows a man matching Judd’s description leaving a Bunnings store in Notting Hill, just 1.5km from the crime scene, carrying what appeared to be a stake and a jerry can.
About 8.10PM, dashcam footage captured the same man walking along Ferntree Gully Road. By 9.55PM, neighbours on Adrienne Crescent had called triple-0 after hearing screams, and police arrived to find both victims dead.
Items resembling those from Bunnings were allegedly recovered at the scene.
According to the Herald Sun, the suspect and Gunn may have clashed over dogs, with neighbours noting past tension between the two men over German Shepherds. Judd’s dogs were reportedly seen roaming freely on the night of the killings.
Hours before her death, Georgopoulos, who was five months pregnant, had called her family to share that she was expecting a baby girl.
“She thought she would never be able to have children… because of her age,” her aunt, Patty Dilveridis, tragically revealed, per News.com.au.
Per the outlet, her mother, Perry, shared a devastating tribute in Greek on Facebook, which read: “My dear, you left life so unfairly I can’t yet believe that you were so happy on your last days."
"We dreamt together about my grandchildren that would bring to your heart’s desire, and suddenly everything went out in one night, cutting the thread of your life and my granddaughter, who would’ve been born in four months," she continued. "Even if they separated us, I will always love you forever, welcome my daughter to the life of the angels.”
Witnesses claim the accused killer was seen minutes after the murders at a McDonald’s about 2km away, “covered in blood” and accompanied by his two dogs.
One diner told the media he was wiping blood from his hands with tissues while ordering a Coke with no sugar and two medium cheeseburgers without pickles.
Judd was arrested at Westall train station around 1.40AM on Tuesday (August 12). Footage shows him barefoot, shirt stained with blood, as police handcuffed him.
In Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (August 13), he stumbled into the dock, telling the court, “I beg your pardon, yeah I’m all good,” before smiling and winking at the media. Police have requested 10 weeks to prepare their brief of evidence.
Neighbours have spoken out and described the incident as “unbelievable” and “shocking.” One resident, Dimmi, who knew Georgopoulos when she was younger, said, “She was a lovely girl… I’m so, so sad.”
Another neighbour, Mary, said: “Everybody is shocked here. It’s amazing that it’s just happened so close. I’ve spoken to others in the street and they said they didn’t hear anything."
Graffiti scrawled on the couple’s home included messages reading “Karma is not a menu,” “meat is murder,” and “betrayal, unpredictable, inevitable.” Police are investigating whether it is linked to the killings.
Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said the suspect was known to the victims and that the incident was “targeted.” He confirmed a weapon, not a firearm, was used and appealed for anyone with information or footage from Adrienne Crescent, Ferntree Gully Road, or Westall station to come forward.
Post-mortems are underway as homicide detectives continue to piece together the events leading up to the horrific tragedy.
Our thoughts are with Georgopoulos and Gunn's loved ones at this time.