Athena Georgopoulos was allegedly murdered alongside her partner, Andrew in Mount Waverley. Photo / Supplied
A community has been left horrified after a pregnant woman was found dead in Melbourne alongside her partner, who was found decapitated with his head mounted on a spike.
The bodies of Athena Georgopoulos, 39, and Andrew Gunn, 50, were found inside a unit on Adrienne Crescent in Mt Waverley on Monday night.
Heavily armed police swarmed the property at 9.55pm after a neighbour heard screams and called triple-0.
Ross Judd, 34, a homeless man with two large dogs, was arrested just hours later and fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with two counts of murder.
An argument over dogs may have caused friction between Gunn and his alleged murderer.
Neighbours had reportedly noted tension between Judd, who was known to many locals, and Gunn over Gunn’s beloved German Shepherd who rarely left his side.
Judd himself owns two German Shepherds and was often sighted around the neighbourhood with the canines in tow, including on the evening Gunn and Georgopoulos were killed.
According to the Herald Sun, Gunn and Judd may have been involved in an argument about the sale and ownership of other dogs.
Hours before she was killed, Georgopoulos, who was five moths pregnant, had been on the phone to family and friends on Monday to reveal the gender of her baby.
During the phone call, the 39-year-old told loved ones she was excited to be expecting a baby girl, the Herald Sun reports.
Georgopoulos and Gunn had been together for around three years and were excited to welcome their miracle baby.
“She thought she would never be able to have children … because of her age,” Georgopoulos’ aunt, Patty Dilveridis Dilveridis, told the publication.
Georgopoulos’ mother, Petty has been left devastated by her daughter’s death. Georgopoulos had been her mother’s primary carer, with Petty suffering from health issues.
In a heartbreaking post on social media, Petty paid tribute to her daughter and future granddaughter, who was due in just four months.
“My dear, you left life so unfairly I can’t yet believe that you were so happy on your last days,” she wrote in Greek on Facebook, as per the Herald Sun.
“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 grand daughter who would’ve been born in four months.
“Even if they separated us I will always love you forever, welcome my daughter to the life of the angels.”
Claims emerged on Wednesday that the accused killer dined out on fast food just minutes after the crime.
Witnesses say they saw a man “covered in blood” ordering McDonald’s approximately 2km from where the victims were killed.
The man was accompanied by two German Shepherds wearing bandanas and “stood at the food pick up counter wiping the blood on his hands with tissues”, according to one diner.
An employee at McDonald’s said the man ordered a Coke with no sugar and two medium cheeseburgers without pickles.
Earlier on Monday evening, a local reportedly saw Judd and two large dogs walking through the neighbourhood.
“I’ve seen this man [Mr Judd] here before … he’s known in the area,” the man told The Australian.
“The dogs were free roaming and I was worried they were going to sh*t on my grass … they’ve done that before.”
Judd, 34, was arrested just hours later at nearby Westall train station, about 6km from the crime scene, at around 1.40am on Tuesday.
Footage shows the moment a man with a bloodied shirt and no shoes was handcuffed and taken away by police.
He has since been charged with two counts of murder.
He appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court for a brief administrative hearing shortly before 11am.
Flanked by two guards, he stumbled as he entered the court.
“I beg your pardon, yeah, I’m all good,” he said.
Judd was wearing a dark-coloured T-shirt and sported a short beard and hair spiked up in a faux-hawk.
At one point, he smiled and winked at members of the media.
The court was told police were seeking an extra 10 weeks to prepare a brief of evidence in the case.
Police allege the accused was known to the couple, and that one of the victims lived in the unit.
A neighbour who discovered the bodies has spoken about the horror of finding the victims.
Ben Scott-Sandvik lives in unit one of the block of flats.
“I mean, no one should have to come across what I saw down there,” he told the Herald Sun.
“And nobody needs to live knowing that this sort of thing has happened to their families.”
Half a dozen homes remained cordoned off on Adrienne Crescent in Mt Waverley on Wednesday morning as neighbours expressed their “shock” at what had occurred.
Dimmi, a woman who knew Athena Georgopoulos and her mother, said she was devastated to read about the news on Facebook.
“I came back and said to my husband, some murder happened here. On Monday when it happened, I went to bed around 12 o’clock and didn’t hear anything,” Dimmi told news.com.au.
She said Athena kept to herself, so much so that she was not aware the pregnant mother was living a few doors down.
“I didn’t even know she lives there. I’m Greek too, so I was so close to her mother, but didn’t see her for about 10 months.
“I’ve been here for 25 years, I walk along this street all the time but never saw her.
“I’m going to ring her mum, I’m in shock now. I don’t know much about the girl who passed away, but I knew her when she was young. They used to come to my house all the time.
“She was a lovely girl. A very nice girl. I’m so, so sad.”
Another neighbour, Mary, said she too had also never seen Athena despite living several doors up the road.
“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.”
A man walking his dogs on Adrienne Crescent on Wednesday morning said locals had reported some trouble from the apartment where the couple died.
“I’ve lived here for 30 years and we’ve never had problems.”
Several officers remained at the scene as neighbours woke to letters in the mail from Victoria Police.
“Recently there was a serious incident in your local area,” the letter reads.
“Monash Police are committed to community safety and in support we provide this letter to offer additional crime prevention assistance and reassurance.
“If you require any further assistance with welfare support services please don’t hesitate to make contact.”
Inside the tiny unit, officers allegedly found Gunn’s mutilated body next to the body of Georgopoulos.
The couple had been together around three years and were excited to welcome their miracle baby daughter. Georgopoulos was five months pregnant when she died.
The alleged motive remains unclear, though reports suggest drugs may have been a factor.
Georgopoulos’ aunt, Patty Dilveridis, told the Herald Sun her niece never thought she would be a mother.
“She was so looking forward to having a baby, because she was 39 [and] she never thought she could have one,” Dilveridis said.
Post-mortems for the pair will be conducted on Wednesday.
Police are still working to establish the accused man’s connection to the victims.
Georgopoulos’ mother, Petty, has been left devastated by her daughter’s death. Athena had been her mother’s primary carer, with Petty suffering from health issues.
Detectives said they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the killings and confirmed a weapon, although not a firearm, was used in the alleged murder.
Graffiti was visible on the couple’s home with one message reading “Karma is not a menu” and references to veganism such as “meat is murder”.
Other phrases were also visible including “betrayal, unpredictable, inevitable”.
“Police are aware of graffiti on the property in Mt Waverley where the bodies of two people were located last night,” a police spokesperson said.
“Homicide Squad detectives will work to determine if the graffiti is relevant to the murder investigation.”
At least six overalled forensics officers were seen going back and forth from the house to a van on Tuesday, as a swarm of police kept the crime scene cordoned off.
Speaking from the scene on Tuesday morning, Melbourne homicide squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said the man in custody was known to the pair.
“We believe that there is a link between our suspect and the address,” Thomas said.
“Police were called at about 9.20pm in relation to a welfare check at the address based on some yelling that was heard from the property.
“A second call was then made that suggested it was perhaps more urgent than what the first call was and police arrived minutes later, and obviously they found the male and female inside the premises deceased.
“We believe he [the suspect] may be of no fixed place of abode.
“It appears to be targeted and our suspect is known to the address.”
Thomas urged anyone who saw anything suspicious around Adrienne Court, Ferntree Gully Rd and the Westall railway station to contact police.
Thomas said forensic crews and investigators would be at the scene for most of the day, and counselling was being offered to those living in neighbouring units.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed investigators were probing the graffiti.
“Police are aware of graffiti on the property in Mount Waverley where the bodies of two people were located last night,” the spokesperson said.
“Homicide Squad detectives will work to determine if the graffiti is relevant to the murder investigation.”
Thomas said heavily armed specialist officers, assisted by the police helicopter, tracked the arrested man to the station, where he was taken into custody.
“The person that we took into custody was in the company of two large dogs, I think that would look fairly obvious to people who may have been in the area.”
Police are appealing for witnesses or anybody with information or footage to come forward.