Emma Lovell death: Second teen faces court charged with North Lakes mother’s home invasion murder

One of the juveniles charged with Emma Lovell’s murder allegedly yelled “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you too” during the fatal Boxing Day scuffle at the family’s home, a court has heard.

Emma Lovell was stabbed to death during a home invasion in North Lakes. The teen who stabbed her has already been sentenced. Source: Facebook.

Chilling death threats from a juvenile intruder rang out from the North Lakes home of Emma and Lee Lovell as they fought teenagers in a fatal battle to protect their home, a Brisbane court has heard.

It is alleged the words “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you too” were picked up by a neighbour’s CCTV camera around the time Emma was stabbed in the heart on December 26, 2022.

Her Boxing Day death triggered a youth crime case against two juveniles that shocked the state, with the second of the duo facing his first day of a murder trial on Monday – at the height of the Queensland election which has hinged on youth crime.

The Brisbane Supreme Court heard that the now-18-year-old was an alleged accomplice to a primary offender previously sentenced for Emma’s murder, however the teen’s defence argued he was not guilty because he did not know the other boy had a knife.

Emma Lovell, pictured with husband Lee Lovell.

The 18-year-old on Monday pleaded not guilty to four charges: murder, break and enter while armed and in company, unlawful wounding, and unlawful assault.

Crown prosecutor David Nardone said multiple pieces of residential CCTV footage from that night would be crucial, including footage and audio from a neighbour’s camera of the accused youths yelling “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you too”.

Other footage, the court heard, was of the pair prowling the street looking for open houses and car doors, after coming from a government-funded care home for at-risk youths from where the accused’s co-offender had taken a knife.

The court heard the primary offender tried to open the handle on the Lovell’s front door and found it unlocked.

He turned and gave a thumbs up.

“At this time, [the primary offender] is armed with a knife held in his right hand, and the two move to the front door,” Mr Nardone said.

Lee Lovell arriving at Brisbane Supreme Court on Momday. Picture: John Gass

At that time, the accused turned, such that there would have been a matter of centimetres between the knife and his face.”

The trial’s first witness was Lee Lovell, who detailed his confrontation inside his family home with one of the intruders which then spilt out onto the front lawn.

Mr Lovell told the trial he was woken by the family’s two dogs barking and he saw Mrs Lovell was on her phone in bed next to him.

She then said to him: “The front door is open.”

Mr Lovell said he opened their bedroom door to check the front door, but did not switch any lights on.

Police at the scene of the North Lakes home where Emma Lovell died. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

“Immediately [after I opened the bedroom door] there was one male in the hallway right in front of my face, and there was a second male coming back from the living room and entering the hallway area.

“I just tried to push him out, I wrestled with him … and it continued down the hallway and out of the front door.”

Mr Lovell’s voice wavered with emotion when he spoke about seeing his wife fall to the ground on their front lawn.

This week’s Brisbane Supreme Court judge only trial is set to run for five days.

The primary youth offender, who was 17 at the time but is now 19, previously pleaded guilty to murder n and was sentenced in May to 14 years’ jail.