Man charged with murdering Aiia Maasarwe
Wannabe rapper Codey Herrmann has been charged with murdering and raping international student Aiia Maasarwe in Bundoora, with the judge ordering specific details of the crime be censored.
Wannabe rapper Codey Herrmann has been charged with murdering and raping international student Aiia Maasarwe.
Herrmann appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court just after 3pm today, about 28 hours after police swooped on the 20-year-old in a Greensborough park.
He has been charged with one count of murder and one count of rape.
Herrmann, who was wearing a green T-shirt and appeared not to be handcuffed, spoke only one word during the two minutes he was in the courtroom.
He told Magistrate John Doherty “yes” when asked if he understood what he had been charged with.
He looked down for most of the hearing and only stood and faced Magistrate Doherty when addressed directly.
The court heard arguments on whether the “elements” of the rape charge should be redacted.
Media were told by Magistrate Doherty that they could not publish the circumstances of the alleged rape at Bundoora on January 16.
Those details were redacted from charge sheets released by the court.
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After conferring with homicide detective Senior Sergeant Sol Solomon, Leading Senior Constable Craig Williams told the court that some circumstances of the rape charge were not known to Ms Maasarwe’s family.
“I don’t think it would be appropriate that be released and the specific details ... obviously for the family,” he said.
“Some of the specific words in there aren’t known to the family”.
Magistrate Doherty ordered that Herrmann be remanded in custody until he could appear in court for a filing hearing on Monday.
Herrmann’s solicitor Katie Powell requested that her client undergo a Forensicare mental health assessment.
Earlier today, the inside of a house believed to be linked to the aspiring rapper was revealed.
Children’s shoes, smashed furniture, empty spray paint cans, urine-stained carpet and rubbish litter the graffiti-covered Bundoora property, which is just 2km from where Ms Maasarwe’s body was found on Wednesday.
Nearby residents said squatters moved into the Grimshaw St house in the past week.
“They must have just moved in. I only noticed the graffiti and trash around that house this week,” one resident said.
“This isn’t the kind of area where you would find squatters. It’s very strange.”
Scores of police descended on the property on Friday, taking away items in evidence bags.
WANNABE RAPPER ARRESTED IN NEARBY PARK
The arrest of Codey Herrmann occurred at 11.20am on Friday at a park in Greensborough. The suburb is next to Bundoora, where Ms Maasarwe, an Israeli national, was killed.
More than a dozen police officers converged on a covered barbecue area in Pioneer Reserve, arresting Mr Herrmann, 20, without incident.
Other investigators on Friday evening searched the derelict home on Grimshaw St.
Mr Herrmann is believed to be unemployed and itinerant but with longstanding connections in the northeastern suburbs.
It is not known whether investigators have yet been able to question him.
Mr Herrmann appeared dazed as he was driven into police crime command headquarters in Spencer St at 1.30pm on Friday.
The Herald Sun understands he was on bail for minor charges, but has no significant history with police.
The scene of the arrest is 6km from Main Drive, Bundoora, where Ms Maasarwe was bludgeoned to death at 12.10am on Wednesday.
She had just got off a route 86 tram from the city and was starting the 1km walk home when she was attacked and dumped in nearby bushes.
Police later recovered a T-shirt and cap, which they suspect were dumped by the alleged killer.
Locals said police, including forensic and plainclothes officers, converged on the graffiti-covered Grimshaw St property about 4.20pm.
The front of the Grimshaw St property was taped off and a number of police vehicles were parked around the single storey home.
Police searched a bin two houses away about 7.25pm, with forensic police emerging from the house at 8pm with what appeared to be a tissue box.
They left at 8.08pm with three large brown bags.
“I’ve been living here for 18 months and for at least six of them, squatters have been there,” one local said.
The resident said she saw a man being arrested when she looked outside.
“They (police) were handcuffing another man between their vans,” she said.
“It’s usually such a quiet area so it does worry you a bit.”
A neighbour who lives next door to the house told the Herald Sun he would only ever see people in the house sporadically.
“I actually contacted the Banyule Council because the house is so dirty,” he said.
“I work a lot but I only ever saw or heard people in the house once every two months or six weeks.”
Another resident, who lives two houses away and only started her lease two days ago, said it worried her this was happening so close to home.
Two forensic vans remain at the scene, along with two unmarked police cars
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said: “As a man is currently in custody, we are not able to provide further details.”
‘I PRAY SHE IS IN A MORE NICE PLACE THAN THIS’
Ms Maasarwe’s father has visited the scene of her death, fighting back tears as he spoke about her love for people and their plans to travel Australia together.
After reading cards on floral tributes and meeting others who paying tribute to his daughter, Saeed Maasarwe said he had been touched by the support the community and police have given his family.
He had spent time at La Trobe University — where a vigil was held on Friday — meeting friends and classmates of his 21-year-old daughter, along with staff.
Mr Maasarwe was taken to the scene of her death by police and friends.
Referring to the makeshift shrine, Mr Maasarwe said he was experiencing conflicting feelings being at the scene of her death.
“This has given me (a) good feeling, but also from another way, I am sad because this is the last place my daughter … was here,” he said. “I have many dreams to be with her.
“But I cannot now, to be more with Aiia. I want to be with her (for) more time, but someone decided I cannot be. I wish, I hope, I pray she is in a more nice place than this place, and in the paradise.”
He said he wanted his daughter to explore new cultures with an open mind, which she did.
“She, all the time, smiled. She loved the people,” he said. “She have very big opinions, the mind open for everything. She liked to study different cultures and different nationalities. She don’t come with a locked mind from another culture: She respected all the people.”
They had made plans for a family holiday in Australia later this month.
“She loved this city very (much), and the university and her colleagues at the university,” she liked this very much.
“I (had) a plan to come in the end of January and the beginning of February to be together with her for (a) vacation with her and her sister, the older sister Noor, to be with her for two weeks or 10 days. We want to go to many places here in Australia.
He said she wanted to visit Sydney, but didn’t want to go until he arrived so they could go together.
“But I wait for her,” he said. “I still wait.”
The arrest comes after an intensive police investigation which began on Wednesday morning, when passers-by found Ms Maasarwe’s body in shrubbery outside the Polaris shopping centre.
Police believe she was attacked just after getting off a number 86 tram at a stop in Plenty Rd.
Moments later, the alleged killer pounced as she walked along nearby Main Drive, murdering her in a brutal onslaught.
The night before, Ms Maasarwe attended a comedy show at North Melbourne’s The Comic Lounge and was believed to have boarded the tram at 10.50pm from Bourke St.
Police believe she was attacked about 50m from a tram stop, but were unsure if she was stalked from the city or pounced upon after alighting.
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Police have refused to go into specific details about how she died, but believe she may have been sexually assaulted.
The La Trobe University student was living her dream in Melbourne before her untimely death.
Ms Maasarwe’s father arrived in Melbourne on Thursday to identify her body. The Israeli Embassy said it was preparing to support the student’s family and return her body for burial.
Police have thanked the public for their assistance with the investigation.
— With Mark Schliebs, Mark Buttler, Andrea Hamblin, Brittany Goldsmith, Kieran Rooney and James Mottershead
Originally published as Man charged with murdering Aiia Maasarwe
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