North Lakes home invasion: Mum stabbed to death fighting off intruders
Two teenage boys have been charged with murder over the shocking death of Emma Lovell at her North Lakes home last night, Queensland Police have confirmed.
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Two youths from Brisbane have each been charged with murder, attempted murder and enter dwelling with intent in company after the death of a woman at her North Lakes home late on Monday night.
Emma Lovell, 41, was fatally stabbed while fighting off intruders who broke into the family home.
Two 17-year-old boys, one from Brisbane’s north and one from Brisbane’s south, have been charged and another two boys, aged 17 and 16, were taken into custody are continuing to speak with police.
Both have been denied police bail and are due to appear in the Brisbane Children's Court.
Superintendent John Hallam said the two boys charged allegedly entered the home at 11.30pm where a confrontation happened.
He said outside the home Ms Lovell was stabbed.
The boys fled the scene and the dog squad tracked them to another nearby address.
Supt Hallam said the Lovells were woken by barking dogs.
“They disturbed them inside the dwelling and they were defending their house,” he said.
Supt Hallam said investigations had failed to find any linkages to the offenders and the Lovells.
“So there is no relationship there,” he said.
Supt Hallam said police previously had “prior contact” with the four people in custody.
Supt Hallam said the Lovell family would be offered support in coming days.
“As you would expect they are absolutely traumatised and shattered,” he said.
“Not only they are shattered – they have lost their mother and their wife – the whole community is mourning as well.”
Supt Hallam said it was a terribly sad day.
“I still struggle to understand why these types of violent crimes occur and it’s occurred again,” he said.
“We need to work together as a community to say no to this type of violence.”
Supt Hallam said he wasn’t able to say if the mother’s death was preventable and declined to say if any of the four were currently on bail.
Earlier, a neighbour told of the harrowing screams he heard in the moments after the mother was fatally stabbed fighting off two intruders.
Police were called to Whitfield Crescent about 11.30pm after Mrs Lovell and her husband Lee Lovell disturbed the intruders inside their home.
A fight broke out on the front veranda and Mrs Lovell was stabbed in the chest.
Queensland Ambulance Service medical director Dr Stephen Rashford and an officer from the High Acuity Response Unit were sent to the scene.
It’s understood they attempted emergency lifesaving surgery procedures, known as a thoracotomy, after arriving to the scene but could not save her.
Mr Lovell, 43, suffered a stab wound to his back and was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Two of the intruders fled on foot.
A grieving Mr Lovell confirmed the death to devastated friends on Tuesday morning.
The Courier-Mail understands the Lovell family had recently returned from a holiday on the Sunshine Coast.
Neighbour Jay Balhatchet said he heard people screaming for help.
“I witnessed the ambulances trying to help the mum on the front lawn,” he said
“There was stuff everywhere all over the front lawn from all the things that were left on the front lawn.
Mr Balhatchet said the incident had left him shaken.
“I’m shaking now,” he said.
“The whole way it ended, it shouldn’t end up that way.
Mr Balhatchet said his neighbours went to assist.
“He heard all the screaming, the guy next door, to the left, rushed over and tried to help but the dad was already on the phone to the police and ambulance.”
Mr Balhatchet said he knew instantly that Mrs Lovell’s injuries were “severe”.
“(Paramedics) tried to save her for about 15 minutes,” he said.
“The dad was still bad but he had enough time to call (triple-0).”
Mr Balhatchet’s mother Julie said her husband also rushed out after their daughter heard the screams and saw the scene from a window.
She said he went to attempt first aid before being confronted with the severity of Ms Lovell’s condition.
“What do you do? It’s hard when someone’s got multiple injuries,” Mrs Balhatchet said.
She added that her husband stayed with Ms Lovell until emergency services arrived five to 10 minutes later.
Ben O’Connor, who lives nearby, said he didn’t hear the commotion but woke up to the police and ambulance late last night
“There would have been probably five to seven cop cars and three ambulances,” Mr O’Connor said.
“When I woke up and my wife got me up and there was a woman laying at the front of the lawn.”
Mr O’Connor said he had been living in the area for 15 months and never expected anything like this to happen.
“The area is nice, it’s a lovely little street. It’s frightening,” he said.
“It’s just frightening, you read and hear about it on the news but you wouldn’t think it would happen a few doors down.”
Originally from England, Mr Lovell previously wrote online that the couple first travelled to Australia in 2002 and visited places on the east coast before deciding to make the move permanently.
The residents of the house directly across from where Ms Lovell died said they did not hear anything on Monday night.
“We sleep on the back side of the house so we didn’t know until the police came knocking after 12am.”
The husband and wife said they had a cordial relationship with the family.
“Just a wave and a friendly hello, neighbourly stuff,” one said.
While the neighbours, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had CCTV facing the crime scene it was too far away to set off the motion sensor.
The neighbour added they were confused at how a random act of violence could happen at what she said was an ordinary house.
“They were always busy, she did ironing for local people.”
“Why did they choose that house, on that side of the street and not this side of the street?”
“They could have picked any house, how did it happen,” her husband said.
They said in the three years they have lived on the street they had never seen anything like this before.
“We’ve had nothing, it’s a quiet street and everybody likes each other,” said the wife.
“When you live in a quiet neighbourhood and something like this happens, everyone feels the pain,” he said.
A GoFundMe has been organised for the Lovell family.
“Emma leaves behind her husband Lee and two daughters, who are now faced with the unimaginable loss of their beloved wife and mother,” the GoFundMe reads.
“In this difficult time, as a community lets help support Lee and the girls as they navigate through this heartbreaking tragedy.
“Any donations, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated and will go towards helping the family with expenses during this difficult time.
“Please keep the Lovell family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
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