Baby Kobi’s mother recounts months of Henry Shepherdson’s abuse and lack of DV support before Whispering Wall reservoir murder-suicide

Kobi’s mum begged in a call to her murderer partner before his final act of pure evil. Now his face can be revealed for the first time.

“Please don’t do this, not my baby girl”, Kobi Shepherdson’s mother begged in a call to her murderer partner before he committed his final act of pure evil.

In a case that horrified the nation, Henry Shepherdson drove his nine-month-old daughter to Whispering Wall reservoir on April 21, 2021.

At 4.30pm, Shepherdson jumped off the 36m-high dam as witnesses watched in shock.

Both died at the scene.

After months of “highly manipulative” behaviour – including breaching a non-contact order 149 times through prison phone calls – Shepherdson did the unspeakable.

Henry Shepherdson’s face can be revealed for the first time. Photos: Courts SA

After his non-contact order was downgraded on April 21, 2021 Shepherdson arranged to spend time with Kobi before taking her to Whispering Wall.

Kobi was attached to Shepherdson, 38, in a baby carrier when members of the public saw him jump from the popular tourist attraction near Williamstown in the Barossa Valley.

Members of the public tried to save baby Kobi, and emergency services found them working on her when they arrived. Shepherdson was found deceased.

Their deaths have been the subject of a coronial inquest to investigate how each of the potential fails and the combination of holes Shepherdson through all lined up to “catastrophic results”.

Kobi’s mother recounts months of abuse

Kobi’s mother did not give evidence at the inquest but detailed in police statements the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of Shepherdson and the little support she felt she had.

She said she had an argument with Shepherdson in December 2020, in which she told him she would be leaving and taking their daughter.

Kobi’s mother said Shepherdson responded: “If you don’t let me take my daughter with me, I’ll kill us all. I’m not going to kill myself, because I don’t want you to fill Kobi’s head with lies about me”.

“When Henry is angry, he can’t control himself. He has no filter,” Kobi’s mother said.

“He just verbalises whatever is on his mind and his head goes to pretty dark places.”

Shepherdson was arrested on December 16, 2020, for offences against Kobi and her mother, including false imprisonment and threats to kill.

Kobi Shepherdson. Picture SA Police

Kobi Shepherdson. Picture: SA Police

Shepherdson’s highly manipulative behaviour

By mid January, he was calling her multiple times a day from prison in breach of a non-contact order.

In the chilling calls played to the court, Shepherdson can be heard love-bombing Kobi’s mother, telling her he had changed and he wanted his girls back.

“Because I had grown up in a broken family I didn’t want that for Kobi,” Kobi’s mother said.
“I thought if there was a chance it may work then at least give it a shot.

“I thought he was being genuine, but thinking back on it was manipulation as well.”

Kobi’s mother said Shepherdson then got into her head through his dozens of calls, which police, prosecutors or the court were not aware of.

“He did put pressure on me, but was careful with his words,” she said.

“He wanted me to drop the charges and told me what I needed to do.”

Kobi’s mother said she was surprised how easy it was to get Shepherdson’s charges dropped, which resulted in him being released from custody in March.

“I didn’t really have to explain why,” she said.Kobi’s mother also commented she had very little contact with the Family Violence Section throughout and was unaware of the help she was entitled to seek.

“Every time I called nobody was there or the person looking after my case wasn’t working,” she said.

“I didn’t get any support or advice about my case.”

“This is the way it has to be” – Shepherdson’s final phone call

Kobi’s mother said on the day of the murder-suicide everything seemed fine with Shepherdson who told her he was going to take Kobi to the park.

However, just hours later in a phone call, Shepherdson told Kobi’s mother he and Kobi would not be home when she got home.

“I knew what that meant and I said ‘please don’t do this’, ‘She’s just nine months old you can’t do this’,” she said.

“I asked him if he was at the Whispering Wall but he wouldn’t answer me.

“I then said ‘please don’t do this, not my baby girl’.

“He just said ‘this is the way it has to be’, then he hung up.”

Tributes at the entrance to the whispering wall at Williamstown. Picture: Mike Burton

Kobi’s mother said she tried calling Shepherdson back several times but he didn’t answer.

In the statement, she said: “Henry told me not long after we first met, if he ever had thoughts of killing himself he would go to the Whispering Wall”.

“I never thought Henry was ever capable of doing anything to his baby girl,” she said.

“When I left Kobi with Henry on that day I had no reason to believe Henry was planning to take his and Kobi’s life.”

Deputy State Coroner Ian White will hand down his findings at a later date.

Originally published as Baby Kobi’s mother recounts months of Henry Shepherdson’s abuse and lack of DV support before Whispering Wall reservoir murder-suicide