Random killings on the rise in Australia, latest statistics reveal

Australians are falling victim to random killings at the highest level in 15 years, with surprising motives for the brutal attacks. See the murder rate in your state.

Exclusive: The number of random killings in Australia has risen exponentially — and is at a 15 year high.

New statistics from the Institute of Criminology (AIC) show murders carried out by killers who don’t know their victims has risen by a worrying 35 per cent.

The overall homicide rate is up 16 per cent, according to the AIC.

There were 261 homicides in 2019-20, up by 37 deaths on the previous year — the highest number of murders since 2005.

Overall, there were 278 victims, up by 38.

Intimate partner homicides made up the majority of domestic murders, with women the victims in 36 of the 45 cases.

The danger time for homicides is between 6pm and midnight on Saturdays.

Stabbing is the leading cause of murder in Australia. Picture: Tara Croser.

Researchers believe the inclusion of cases of driving causing death where the offender was charged with murder or manslaughter could account for some of the rise in random killings — but not all.

Acquaintance homicide, where the victim is known to the killer but is not related, is down slightly, although at 32 per cent it is still the leading cause of murder in Australia. Domestic killings account for 31 per cent, while random killings comprised 18 per cent.

The relationship between the victim and offender the remainder of the killings was unknown.

Stabbing was the most dominant cause of death, at 37 per cent, followed by blunt force trauma (19 per cent) and gunshots (13 per cent).

Other Australian victims died by strangulation, were run down by vehicles, poisoned or burned.

Of the 278 victims, 65 per cent were male and 35 per cent female.

Former Detective Gary Jubelin said murder is becoming harder to get away with.

Thirty-four of the victims were children aged under 17, 20 boys and 14 girls. Ten child victims were under the age of one.

Of the 241 adult victims, 67 per cent were men and 33 per cent were women.

Most killers were male, at 87 per cent, at almost seven times the rate of female offending.

The motives for homicide were not drugs or money, but instead arguments.

Revenge and jealously were motives in only three per cent of cases. Eight per cent of cases had no motive at all.

Former Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin, who spent 25 years in homicide, said he couldn’t see why random killings would go up.

“A pattern doesn’t jump out to me,” he said.

Mr Jubelin said it was much harder to get away with murder now.

Michael Marslew was shot dead during a Pizza Hutt robbery in 1994.

Ken Marslew formed Enough is Enough Anti Violence Movement after his son’s murder.

“We’re all being tracked, with CCTV, electronic data on your phone … 20 years ago we could [only] check someone’s home to see who they called,” Mr Jubelin said.

Ken Marslew, whose son Michael was murdered in 1994 during a Pizza Hut robbery in Janalli, Sydney, was disappointed the crime stats had risen.

“The murder of someone like Michael goes through the community,” Mr Marslew said.

“Even today, years later, there are people come up to me in the street and say ‘I remember that day.’”

Mr Marslew was determined to not “be a victim” and set up Enough is Enough Anti Violence Movement to help people move on.

One of Michael’s killers has participated in the program.

“Michael never had a choice. I’ve got a choice … have I forgiven? No, but I have let go of the hate,” he said.

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AUSTRALIAN HOMICIDES 2019-20

NSW 85 +4

VIC 66 +21

QLD 50 +10

SA 14-3

WA 31-1

TAS 5+1

ACT 2 +0

NT 8+3

Originally published as Random killings on the rise in Australia, latest statistics reveal