Seaton teen Scot Phillips stabbed to death in Carey Ave

Scot Phillips’ distraught sister says her teenage brother just wanted “to be loved” after he died in a pool of blood outside his home on Tuesday. Warning: Graphic images

Scot Phillips was a kind man, who just wanted to be loved and didn’t deserve to die in such awful circumstances, his big sister says.

“He was really loving and a kind boy, he wasn’t aggressive,” Kerrie Rigney said.

“He just wanted to be loved and he wanted a family.”

The 19 year old was stabbed multiple times with a large knife outside of his Carey Ave home, in Seaton, on Tuesday night, in what police have described as a pre-planned attack.

Emergency services attended the scene at 10.20pm and despite the rapid response by ambulance officers Mr Phillips died at the scene.

Police were on Wednesday night looking for a man described as being tall, with an athletic build that tapers into a narrow waist, wearing dark coloured clothing with a dark face mask or balaclava, with a hoodie pulled over the top.

Alleged murder victim Scot Phillips. Photo supplied by family

Alleged murder victim Scot Phillips. Photo supplied by family

Ms Rigney described how Mr Phillips had started to get into trouble at age 14 and had once lived in a group home.

“He wasn’t meant for that world, he was too nice,” she said.

“A lot of those boys (in the group home) have been to jail … it introduced him to people he shouldn’t have known.

“He wasn’t a gangsta, like some of the photos look.

“He loved animals. He loved his dog, that dog was his pride and joy.”

Ms Rigney said he lived with her when he was 17 and she tried her hardest to be a sister rather than a mum.

“I didn’t like his friends at all, but he was at that age and he said ‘they’re the only family I know’,” she said.

“I didn’t want to overstep and be a mum, I wanted to be a sister and I tried to point him in the right direction. He couldn’t see past it.

“He just wanted that family life and being in care, it was hard.”

Officer in Charge of Major Crime Investigation Branch Superintendent Des Bray said the attack occurred when the victim, his housemate and his friend’s girlfriend arrived home from the Seaton Hotel.

Supt Bray said the power was cut to the house and when the victim went outside to investigate he “was immediately set upon by at least one person”.

“It was an ambush, in the sense that switching the power off lured him outside” Supt Bray said. “The person was armed. He was waiting, and he unleashed a furious attack on the victim.”

Supt Bray said an extensive search of CCTV and frontyards in the area uncovered meat cleavers, knives and glass – “we found a whole range of different things in rubbish bins”.

“Truth of it is we have no idea what, if any, of that is involved in this investigation at the moment,” he said. “We hope one or two items may be connected.”

Blood could be seen on the wall of the property. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Supt Bray revealed police this afternoon searched a Hectorville property and arrested a 19-year-old for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

He was remanded in custody and will appear in court on Thursday.

“We believed that person may be a person of interest to the investigation, but we have no evidence to incriminate that person, at this time,” he said.

“We’re also pursing a number of other possible lines of investigation, we have an open mind as to who was involved and how many people might be involved outside of the person who inflicted the fatal blows.”

Police have appealed for the drivers of two cars and an electric scooter captured on CCTV driving along Fidock Ave at the time of the attack.

The cars were described as being a small white four-door-sedan, similar to a Hyundai i30, and a dark four-door-sedan, similar in appearance to an early model Ford.

Supt Bray said the offender had walked south along Fidock Ave, around the corner into Carey Ave and then exited the same way. He was last seen on Matthews Ave.

Police were yet to establish a motive for the attack and were building a picture of the victim’s life and if he had any conflicts with anybody.

Major Crime officers and Western District Detectives are investigating a murder at Seaton on Tuesday. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Neighbours said the victim moved into the home around two months ago.

Neighbour Jason Robertson said he saw who The Advertiser understands to be the victim with a group of young people walking down the road shortly before the alleged murder.

“The two boys at the front were chatting, and they see me, I see them. I went inside, closed the wooden door … next minute, I just heard a blood curdling scream, like ‘let me in, me in, help’,” he said.

“Fear, pure fear. Like … those horror movies.

“But then I ran out with a pole, and it was just dead quiet, just no noise at all, so I thought, must have been around the corner because they have a lot of trouble there too.”

Another neighbour Deniel Rankine said she heard a woman crying for help and emergency services rushing to the house.

“After we saw the ambulance pushing the bed in (and come back out). He was on there,” she said.

“And then we just saw the white blanket put up and stuff.”

He said the police came minutes later and people started coming out of the house.

“(One said) He’s in there … the police officer didn’t know if he was talking about the attacker or the one that’s been stabbed … So he waited for backup, and then they went in,” he said.

On Wednesday, police were seen looking through rubbish bins around the house.

Alleged murder victim Scot Phillips. Photo supplied by family

Blood was smeared near the door of the Carey Ave home.

Major Crime officers and Western District detectives are investigating the death which is not believed to be a random incident.

An appeal for information has been launched as part of ongoing investigations.

No arrests have been made over the incident.

Carey Ave was closed for several hours but has since reopened.

Investigators have appealed for anyone in the area at the time of the incident, or who may have relevant dashcam or CCTV footage, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Seaton teen Scot Phillips stabbed to death in Carey Ave