Bailey Clifford plea hearing: How police caught Paul Grapsas’ killer

Police zeroed in on teenage killer Bailey Clifford through a variety of methods before his arrest, five days after he killed Geelong father Paul Grapsas.

Bailey Clifford murder probe

Teenage killer Bailey Clifford didn’t hand himself in, but he was caught in less than a week.

Officers surrounded a home on Eggleston St, Ocean Grove on September 19, 2023 – almost five days after Clifford, then-18, fatally stabbed Geelong father Paul Grapsas seven times during an altercation on the passenger seat of Mr Grapsas’ Mitsubishi Lancer.

Mr Grapsas, 40, had been walking his dog when he turned the corner into Malone St and came upon Clifford rifling through his car.

He was dead moments later, and Clifford was gone – until police came knocking.

Victoria Police’s Homicide Squad was called to the Malone St scene early on the morning of September 15, 2023, a short while after Mr Grapsas was found dead by his pregnant wife Jessica.

At his plea hearing on Monday, crown prosecutor Catherine Parkes outlined how police zeroed in on the now-20-year-old Clifford prior to his arrest, including police tracking him through CCTV.

Paul Grapsas and his wife, Jessica.

Ms Parkes told the court of Clifford’s movements on the night of the slaying from 8.12pm, when he was captured on CCTV purchasing an energy drink from Coles Belmont using his NAB bank card.

At 8.40pm, he was caught on camera at the other Coles on Belmont High St, attempting to purchase unknown items, and then at 8.43pm he was again captured on CCTV, this time arriving at Belmont McDonalds on a blue bicycle.

At 8.56pm, he ordered an Uber to central Geelong, where he was caught at on various cameras trying the door handles of cars in the vicinity of Western Beach Rd.

When he next appeared on CCTV at the waterfront skate park, following Mr Grapsas death, he was wearing different clothes.

However, CCTV was not the only avenue of investigation that led police to the home in Ocean Grove.

Clifford had left evidence all over the car, from his left palm print in two places and a fingerprint in another, to DNA found alongside Mr Grapsas in swabs taken from Mr Grapsas fingernails and neck, inside his pockets and left and right cuffs.

Bailey Clifford.

Clifford did make some attempts to stymie the police – he changed his clothes after the murder, before catching an Uber to an associate’s house in Armstrong Creek, and he changed phones between September 16 and 17, transferring his SIM card.

On September 19, before he was arrested, he was captured in CCTV at McDonalds in Belmont with an “unknown male associate” making purchases using his bank card.

Later that day, when police surrounded the house and knocked on the front door, Clifford ran out the back.

He started climbing the fence in a desperate scramble to escape, but was pulled down and arrested.

He gave police a false name, but had a bum bag containing the keys to the Mitsubushi.

Clifford was interviewed five times by police across two days before he was charged.

During one interview, he asked what evidence there was against him.

After hearing police had his DNA and had tracked his movements, Clifford started crying.

He said: “I just want to f--king die” and “I’m sorry, this is f--king f--ked”. the court heard.

Originally published as Bailey Clifford plea hearing: How police caught Paul Grapsas’ killer