Olga Edwards found dead months after ex-husband shot dead two children

Five months after her estranged husband murdered their two teenage children before taking his own life, Olga Edwards decided to end it all, in the house where Jack, 15, and Jennifer, 13, were gunned down.

• John Edwards hated by his family
• Killer dad discharged from army
• Killer left letters for ex-wives

The body of Olga Edwards was found on Wednesday at the Sydney home where five months ago her teenage son and daughter were murdered by their own father in an act of unconscionable of evil.

Olga Edwards was found dead in her home.

Her former husband John Edwards’ twisted plot to punish her for leaving him took its final toll.

Olga, 36, had steadfastly refused to leave the modest brick home in West Pennant Hills where Jack, 15, and Jennifer, 13, were shot to death on July 5 after coming home from school on the last day of term.

But her torment was obvious to those around her.

Friends and neighbours told The Daily Telegraph she became withdrawn and deeply depressed after her children’s deaths.

She received counselling three times a week but was unable to return to the Woolwich law firm where she worked as a solicitor, and spent weeks at a time in hospital.

Neighbours brought her meals, and police checked on her welfare regularly.

“Every day she would sit inside the house with the blinds down. We’d take her food but sometimes she wouldn’t answer the door,” a neighbour said on Wednesday.

“She would sometimes fall asleep in Jack’s or Jen’s bed at night. She couldn’t get over never seeing them again.”

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Jack, 15, was found covering his sister in a last desperate attempt to save her life.

Jennifer was 13.

Olga’s mother, who rushed to her side from Russia in the days after the tragedy, had only returned to their home country earlier this week.

Olga had promised she would pack up the house and join her there after Christmas.

“Life was too hard without Jack and Jennifer,” another friend said.

“Olga was in heavy counselling and struggling to cope.

“She was dreading Christmas without the kids and planned to leave Australia for good. She had organised to spend Christmas Day at the house to be close to Jack and Jennifer.

She planned go back to Russia forever early in the New Year.”

Friends of Jack and Jennifer outside the home. Picture: John Grainger

Police went to the home after she failed to return a routine phone call to check on her welfare, and found the body about 10am.

Police spent Wednesday at the house, removing items from the garage. They believe she was clear-headed at the time she died and no one else was involved.

Still, even hardened police blamed Edwards for her death.

“This was slow murder,” a senior police source said.

Olga Edwards in July this year as a neighbour helped her fix a fence. Picture: John Grainger

Financial planner Edwards, 68, had timed his evil to wreak maximum devastation. He shot his children about 5.20pm, when he knew they would be alone but that Olga was due home soon.

He then drove to his home a suburb away and turned the gun on himself.

Police believe the killings were part of a year-long premeditated plot to end an acrimonious custody battle.

The Telegraph can reveal that before he killed himself Edwards took a T-shirt with “World’s best dad” printed on it and laid it out in his house where it was sure to be found.

He also gave his dog to a neighbour’s son to walk in the moments before his suicide.

“If police hadn’t intercepted him when he came back to the house (the boy) would have walked in on Edwards,” a senior police officer said.

John Edwards shot dead his two children.

Inside Edwards’ car parked outside his Normanhurst house.

Edwards obtained firearms licences late last year as soon as the law permitted him to after a 10-year ban resulting from an apprehended violence order.

He bought two guns earlier this year.

It was around this time Edwards and his wife agreed to a compromise to end a two-year custody battle.

Edwards agreed the children would live with Olga and would have no contact with him.

A flower tribute outside the house. Picture: Toby Zerna

Jack had told school friends his father had been abusive and they had moved out.

But Edwards tracked them down, stalking them on Facebook and other social media outlets.

He found their address and on several occasions went to the house and repeatedly bellowed through the windows for the children to come out.

He finally executed the meticulously-planned shootings, hunting the children in the home until he shot them, as they clung onto each other, in one of their bedrooms.

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