The father of a teenager murdered in her bed by a Dunedin doctor says he will never forgive him for destroying three generations of his family.
Shane Rush has “tough” days and misses “everything” about his daughter Amber-Rose.
The 16-year-old was murdered on February 2, 2018 - just hours aftershe threatened to expose junior doctor Venod Skantha to his employers and police for “touching up” young women, giving them alcohol and offering money for sex.
Skantha used a hidden spare key to enter Amber-Rose’s home as her family slept. The teenager bled to death in her bed after Skantha fatally stabbed her with six knife wounds to her neck and throat.
Venod Skantha was convicted of murdering Amber-Rose Rush. He later took his own life in prison.
Skantha was convicted of murder and later killed himself in his prison cell. A coroner’s inquest report released today says he took his own life just over an hour after being told his appeal against the murder conviction had failed.
For Rush, his daughter’s murder was just the beginning of the torment – Amber-Rose’s grief-stricken mother took her own life four months after the murder.
Then in 2023 her mother, Amber-Rose’s maternal grandmother, Christine Brosnan also died in a suspected suicide.
Rush blames Skantha for destroying three generations of the family.
“As a doctor he was meant to save lives, but he made the choice to take my daughter’s life,” Rush told the Herald.
“I can’t forgive him for what he’s done. There was a little part of me that wanted to take him out, but I looked at my family and thought, I can’t do it, I am a better person.
“After Amber-Rose died her mother, Lisa-Ann, took her life and last year Amber’s grandmother took her life. His actions have had a massive flow-on effect on my two other kids.
“The sense of loss is huge.”
Murder victim Amber-Rose Rush with her mother Lisa Ann Rush (centre) and grandmother Christine Brosnan. Shane Rush blames Venod Skantha for all the women's deaths. Photo / Supplied
Coroner Marcus Elliott’s report into Skantha’s prison death was completed last month but can only be reported today after Skantha’s parents sought to prevent its public release. The family unsuccessfully argued the findings would cause them unnecessary distress and “unfairly jeopardise their futures”.
Rush said he was lost for words when he heard the parents were trying to block the coroner’s report.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow to say it’s a privacy thing and jeopardises their futures – what about our family and what we had to go through? Everything was dragged out in the public – frankly, it’s a bit on the nose.
“It shows they have no empathy and are not taking any responsibility for what their son did.”
Shane Rush with his daughter Amber-Rose, who was 16 when she was murdered. Photo / Supplied
Killer doctor’s final hours
Coroner Elliott ruled that Skantha, 33, died in his Otago Corrections Facility cell on the day he was told his appeal against his November 2019 murder conviction had failed.
His lawyer’s colleague had phoned him in prison on April 14, 2021, to deliver the news – but Corrections Department staff were not aware the inmate’s appeal had failed.
The inquest findings show Skantha took his own life in his cell after his cellmate had gone out for recreation time. Skantha had appeared to be praying when he was last seen.
The way the former doctor killed himself cannot be reported.
Venod Skantha was convicted of murdering Amber-Rose Rush in her family home.
Skantha had suffered from depression, anxiety and alcohol addiction and had previously discussed taking his own life, the coroner said. His GP had prescribed antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication in 2016.
In 2017, a year before Rush’s death, Skantha was a junior doctor at Dunedin Public Hospital. He had sought help from Community Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS) and was advised to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He had difficulties with anxiety and low moods including suicidal thoughts.
While in custody following his arrest for murder, mental health care was provided to Skantha, including steps to identify situations where he might harm himself.
Venod Skantha had a medical history of depression, anxiety and alcohol addiction and was on a final warning from the district health board that employed him.
In December 2019, a fortnight after his conviction for Amber-Rose’s murder, Skantha had sent his lawyer a note indicating he was considering suicide. Corrections did not keep a record of this incident and staff did not recall it.
In February 2020, Skantha was noted to be self-isolating in prison and his cellmate said he was suffering from nightmares. Skantha had indicated he was only appealing his murder conviction for the sake of his parents and “said he did not intend to spend the rest of his life in jail”, the coroner said.
On the day he died, Skantha had been telephoned by his barrister’s assistant at 2.45pm and told his appeal had failed.
“It was a short call. Mr Skantha appeared normal and the barrister did not think there was any reason for concern about his wellbeing,” the coroner said.
“If Corrections officers were aware that Mr Skantha had been told that his appeal was unsuccessful, and that he was therefore at acute risk of taking his own life, it is likely that he would have been taken to the At Risk Unit/ISU [Intervention and Support Unit], as had happened in the past when an increased risk of self-harm was identified,” the inquest finding says.
Skantha was found dead in his cell just over an hour after the lawyer’s phone call.
Amber-Rose’s mother Lisa Ann Rush died four months after her daughter. Her son Jayden said their mother had “departed the realm of the living to continue her journey alongside Amber-Rose and to forever watch down over us in peace”.
“Although we are all so devastated to see such an important part of our life gone, and it makes our sorrow that much deeper, we are all so glad that her suffering is now over and she can rest easy for all of eternity ... love you mum.”
Amber’s maternal grandmother Christine Brosnan, 70, also died in a suspected suicide in 2023.
Shane Rush said she had never recovered from her granddaughter’s murder and her daughter’s subsequent suicide.
Lisa Ann Rush took her own life four months after her daughter Amber-Rose was murdered. Photo / Supplied
‘He should have been under a lot more supervision’
Rush believes Skantha was let down by his employers while he was a doctor and later by the Corrections Department.
Skantha had moved to Dunedin as a junior doctor in 2017 and his life began to unravel. He was on a final warning at Dunedin Hospital for his erratic behaviour and away from work he was drinking heavily, displaying lewd behaviour and socialising with teenagers.
“Where was the support for him in prison too? When someone’s appeal is turned down, and this was the last one, wouldn’t you think this guy is going to try and do something? He needed 24-hour monitoring for starters.”
Shane Rush says he misses his murdered daughter Amber-Rose's feistiness, loyalty and selflessness. Photo / Supplied
Rush said he missed his youngest daughter every day. She had started working at a supermarket, but her dream was to be a police dog handler.
“Amber-Rose was feisty, loyal and very selfless – always looking out for others. She lived by our family motto: ‘Stand proud and be just.’ And she died by it.”
Rush has had no contact or received an apology from Skantha’s family. He felt sorry that they had to bury their son and believes the tragedy could have been prevented.
“It’s their personal guilt for not doing more, they have to live with what their son did for the rest of their lives. But they needed to take some responsibility and help him more.
“Forget about the stigma of mental health, the reality is s*** happens and there is no shame asking for help, especially if it means a life can be saved. And just say, ‘sorry, we could have prevented this tragedy’.”
Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist who won Best Documentary at the Voyager Media Awards in 2022. She worked for the Herald on Sunday from 2007-2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ’s 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.
