Jessica Geddes’ accused murderer faces court over her Endeavour Hills death
A Gold Coast man says he is “going a bit crazy” in custody after he allegedly murdered his girlfriend in Melbourne’s southeast, a court has heard.
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A man claims he is “going a bit crazy” in custody after he allegedly murdered his girlfriend in Melbourne’s southeast, a court has heard.
Jessica Geddes was 27 years old when her body was discovered inside a Haverstock Hill Close property in Endeavour Hills about 7pm on November 6, 2020.
Jessica’s de facto partner Robert Evan Rickerby, 28, faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday after he was charged with murder on April 5 this year.
In a brief filing hearing, Mr Rickerby, who was wearing shorts and a high-vis top, said he was “going a bit crazy” in custody.
When magistrate Graham Keil asked him to elaborate, Mr Rickerby said: “There is no issue, it’s just trying to adjust, that’s all”.
Mr Rickerby’s lawyer said her client had found the court process to be “overwhelming”.
No application for bail was made after Mr Rickerby was arrested in Nerang, Queensland and extradited to Victoria.
The man briefly faced Brisbane Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday where police allege Mr Rickerby called triple-0 on November 6 and requested an ambulance to the couple’s Endeavour Hills home.
It’s alleged paramedics attended the property and located Jessica deceased with visible facial injuries including black eyes.
Police allege a post-mortem revealed Jessica had suffered long term physical trauma including multiple broken bones that appeared as if they had never been treated.
Victoria Police applied for an arrest warrant on March 29 and Mr Rickerby was taken into custody by Queensland officers on Tuesday
This comes after Jessica’s mum Saasha Brimble said she was relieved that charges had been laid.
“This is just the start,” she said.
“But I’m glad acknowledgment has been made after so long.”
Ms Brimble said she had waited 17 months for answers after her daughter died in Victoria when she left her home state of Queensland.
“The moment she went down there, it became her nightmare, her absolute hell,” Ms Brimble said.
“We were a very close family, so what happened one night when she got up and went to Victoria has broken me.”
At the time, Ms Brimble and other family members questioned Jessica as to why she was moving and leaving her daughter Arianna, now eight years old, behind.
“We were absolutely shattered that she did that, it was out of character behaviour for her,” Ms Brimble said.
“She left her life completely, she left a fully furnished home, she left her baby.
Ms Brimble said she would never forget the day police told her that her daughter had died.
It’s understood that Jessica was found in a bedroom of an Endeavour Hills home with alleged bruises and broken bones.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said they were not looking for anyone else in relation to her death.
Mr Rickerby will return to court for a committal mention on June 29.
