Horror show: Accused decapitator’s violent movie fixation
A young Sydney woman accused of cutting off her mother’s head had a “meltdown” two months ago when ambulances and police came to their house, a neighbour has told The Daily Telegraph.
NSW
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WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A young Sydney woman accused of cutting off her mother’s head and dropping it in a neighbour’s front yard was obsessed with a violent blood-spattered horror movie in the days before the killing.
Last Thursday, Jessica Camilleri posted images and an article referring to the horror franchise Jeepers Creepers on Facebook at 3am, the second reference in a week. “Interesting story,” she wrote.
Her mother Rita replied: “Yes interesting, indeed.” Earlier that day the pair had swapped loving comments with emoji kisses and thank yous before the exchange over the movie.
It was the last activity on the young woman’s social media account before she allegedly decapitated her mother with kitchen knives on Saturday night in the St Clair home they shared. A four year-old boy was being babysat in the house at the time.
The three Jeepers Creepers films, directed by a convicted child sex offender, are about a demonic creature which feeds on humans and features gruesome violence.
The first two, released in cinemas, grossed more than $US100 million in the early 2000s. The third long-delayed sequel screened on Netflix, cable TV and DVD after its release in 2017.
On Saturday night, about 11pm neighbours heard two women arguing from the family home in St Clair Ave.
Police allege Jessica Camilleri, 25, killed her 57-year-old mother in the kitchen area of the home before ringing police and telling them what she had allegedly done.
Then it is alleged she left the house and carried her mother’s head to a neighbour’s home a couple of doors away and put it down in the front yard. She told the shocked occupants she had killed her mother and had rung the police.
Camilleri was arrested while in the yard and taken to St Marys police station and charged with murder. She appeared in Parramatta Local Court yesterday and complained how she couldn’t wash blood off herself because she hurt herself in the alleged attack.
“I really need medical attention. I told all the officers and told the police at the station,” she said via video link. “I cannot move my fingers properly because of the incident. I am not fit to come to jail until I get cleaned up. I could not wash myself properly in the shower to get all the blood off because of my fingers.”
Jessica Camilleri will remain behind bars after a brief mention in court today.
The 25-year-old’s matter was briefly mentioned in Penrith Local Court on Monday after she was assessed in hospital overnight.
Camilleri did not apply for bail and it was formally refused. The matter will next be heard on August 9 at the same court where an application will be made for a forensic procedure to be carried out.
The crime scene was described by police as horrific and a number of emergency service workers who attended are undergoing counselling.
One neighbour said the child inside the house was crying as he was led out by police officers. “He couldn’t speak, he was crying and shaking and looked completely shocked,” the neighbour said.
Detective Superintendent Brett McFadden said the crime scene was disturbing.
“This is up there with one of the most significant, most horrific scenes police have had to face,” he told reporters.
“There is no stepping away from the fact that this was horrific and a significant attack, and the injuries that the victim suffered were extensive.”
The young boy who was in the house was treated at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead for a minor head injury.
“He is being cared for by his family and getting medical support during the course of the day. The family is distraught as to what has taken place,” Supt McFadden said.
Police said they were aware of the family, but what unfolded on Saturday night was “not foreseeable”.
Jessica Camilleri worked part-time as a cashier at Kmart, Mt Druitt. Her best friend said she had been in and out of mental health hospitals and should never have been discharged. “I saw Jess and her mum the night before, they were fine and laughing, but Jess is mentally ill, she needs help. She has serious mental health issues,” the friend said.
A woman who lives across the road, and did not wish to be named, said emergency services came to the house two months ago.
“There was one particular incident two months ago. Ambulances and police came to their house about 2am one morning after Jess had a meltdown,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
“No one around here knew them very well. We had heard there daughter had a few problems but they kept to themselves aside from that.”
Another neighbour said there had been some problems between the mother and daughter.
“Sometimes we could hear them yelling at each other but this night was terrifying,” he said.
“There was so much screaming.”
Another family friend, Cory Rickard-Simms, said that Rita would message him asking for help with her daughter. “She was at time very frustrated with her daughter. She was trying to protect her. (Rita) was very sweet lady,” he said.
Rita sent Mr Rickard-Simms a Facebook message on March 20 this year where she spoke about having to call the ambulance because “Jess had a meltdown”.
“I didn’t know what to do so I called the ambulance at 2:00 in the morning,” Rita wrote. “The ambulance came with the police but they didn’t take her to hospital because she hadn’t done anything at the time and she got scared and worried at the time because she did not want to go back to the mental health unit hospital again.”
Mr Rickard-Simms said that he met Jessica a year ago when they were both patients at the Nepean Hospital mental health unit. “It would have been roughly this time last year when I met her and her mother,” he said. “She was very, very troubled.”
NSW Health yesterday declined to comment on the case when contacted by The Daily Telegraph. “NSW Health cannot comment on a patient’s medical history for reasons of confidentiality,” a spokeswoman said.
Renee Bulbert lives across the road and said she had a bizarre first encounter with Camilleri.
“The first time I met her she said ‘you’ve probably heard about me, I’ve got mental health issues,” she said.
“Another time she parked in front of my place and knocked on the door. She asked if we could walk her across the street to her home as she was scared.
“Then when I spoke to the mother about it she was very apologetic about the interaction.”
Ms Bulbert’s husband Paul Elliott was at home when the alleged attack occurred and said the community had been shaken up.
“I was sitting outside having a smoke when one of the coppers came over,” he said.
“You could see how much his hands were shaking when he was writing his notes.”
Ms Bulbert said the attack didn’t seem real.
“It is so rare that something this gruesome happens here, it is like an American type thing,” she said.
MAN AT CENTRE OF FAMILY’S TROUBLES
Rita Camilleri sent a series of messages to a friend voicing her concern about the daughter now accused of killing her and her troubles with an unnamed man.
The St Clair mother wrote to family friend Cory Rickard-Simms in a Facebook message that she had warned her daughter she would end up in a mental health hospital if she didn’t stop trying to contact the man.
She said Jessica needed to “shape up and smarten up”.
“ … I told her if i where you i would not be mucking around with this d … head ever again otherwise it is going to be her own grave she will be digging and she is now scared and worried,” Rita wrote.
“She is now scared and worried and we all told her so she should be scared our whole family told her she is playing with Fire doing this just let the d … head go he is not worth it by a long shot so i do actually believe that she is now going to stop doing what she is doing and leave this d … head alone now for good.
“She is now very scared of the grave she will be digging for herself if she continues to go down that road.”
In March, Rita wrote to Mr Rickard-Sims about how she had called an ambulance for her daughter.
“She needs to wake up to herself because if she doesn’t the police Officer who came to my house with the ambulance told me if we find ourselves back here and have to come back out to the house for this matter this time she won’t be so lucky.”
Earlier that year on January 31, Mr Rickard-Simms wrote to Jessica that she needed to be careful about the man.
“Jess please be careful about that guy it’s really not worth it the consequences of that could be devastating for you like ending up back in hospital and I know you don’t want that.”
Jessica wrote back that she wanted the man to “rot”.
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