Irene Jones murder accused applies for bail in first court appearance
Police will rely on a number of witness statements alleging the woman charged over her mother’s 2001 cold case murder made admissions “of a guilty conscience”, including one incident at the funeral.
Wentworth Courier
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The woman charged with the cold case murder of her mother made what police allege are several admissions of guilt and once said “could you find someone to kill mum for me”, a court has heard.
Isabela Camelo-Gomez applied for bail after a night in custody, wearing a black jacket as she sat quietly in the dock of the Waverley Local Court this morning.
She was granted bail, though police have lodged a stay of that decision, meaning she will remain in custody until the Supreme Court hears the case within the next three days.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Tom Sands told Magistrate Andrews the mum-of-two had made admissions “of a guilty conscience” before and after Irene Jones was allegedly murdered in her Lansvale home in 2001, one of those occasions being at the funeral of her 56-year-old mother.
She was 27 at time of her mother’s death.
“What we’re alleging is this was a calculated callous murder,” Sgt Sands said.
The court heard that one part of the case against Camelo-Gomez centres around remarks made by a man named Carlos.
“And then Carlos told me (Camelo-Gomez) said ‘Carlos could you find someone to kill mum for me’,” Sgt Sands said, quoting a passage from the police facts sheet.
Camelo-Gomez’s barrister Rebekah Rodger submitted the 45-year-old was having an affair with Carlos and that it was “second or third hand evidence at best”.
That statement was allegedly made by Carlos’ wife, who Ms Rodger told the court would have a motive to make things up about her client.
“The accused has known she was the subject of a police investigation (for the last 18 years) and has not fled,” she said.
“It does not come as a huge shock for her to be charged (with murder) and she does not intend to flee now.”
Camelo-Gomez was arrested yesterday outside her Bondi Junction unit before being charged with the 2001 murder of her mother Irene Jones.
Ms Jones was found dead inside her Lansvale property, with a coroner ruling she died from strangulation and a stab wound to the neck.
A 2007 inquest referred the case to the Unsolved Homicide Unit for further investigation.
Police allege the now 45-year-old quietly kept the murder to herself for the past 18 years before a recent break in the case.
They further allege Camelo-Gomez committed the crime for financial purposes, as she had built up a considerable debt, allegedly staging a break and enter before phoning police from a neighbour’s house.
In initially granting bail, Magistrate Andrews had gone over the 21 page fact sheet where police allege Camelo-Gomez had told emergency services on the night she noticed an intruder as she was getting out of the shower,
The matter will have to go before the Supreme Court within three days to decided whether she can be released.
After that her case will be heard at the Liverpool Local Court on November 20.
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