Courtney Herron’s mother pays heartbreaking tribute one year after Parkville death
The mother of slain Melbourne woman Courtney Herron has vowed to never give up fighting for her daughter, one year after the 25-year-old was bashed to death and dumped beneath logs at Royal Park.
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The mother of slain Melbourne woman Courtney Herron has vowed to never give up fighting for her daughter.
Family and friends of Ms Herron gathered at Fawkner Memorial Park in Melbourne’s north this morning to mark a year since her brutal death.
Ms Herron, 25, was bashed to death and dumped beneath logs at Royal Park in Parkville on May 25, 2019.
Henry Hammond, 27, has pleaded not guilty to her murder.
More than a dozen loved ones paid tribute to Ms Herron during a Greek Orthodox blessing ceremony at her grave today.
Her mother Maxie howled with tears as she was comforted by grieving friends who left flowers and prayers at the gravesite.
Maxie said the past year had been “horrendous” and she wanted people to remember her beautiful daughter.
“I don’t want her to be forgotten and I want justice to be done for her especially,” Maxie said.
“I will keep fighting until that happens.”
The sun shone down on loved ones throughout the cold autumn ceremony.
Maxie said she felt this was her daughter’s way of saying everything was okay.
“If I was looking for a sign that everything is good, that was it,” she said.
Ms Herron is buried in the same plot as her papouli (grandfather) Christos Antoniou and her mother hoped they were happy together in the afterlife.
“May Courtney rest in paradise eternally safe with her papouli,” she said.
The mum recalled the moment police knocked on her door to tell her daughter had been killed.
“I knew Courtney was the girl in the park,” she said.
She said she will never forget when Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said society had failed to protect her “vulnerable” daughter.
“I have been trying to keep it together for everybody,” Maxie said.
“I feel like I’ve been treading water.”
Ms Herron’s death triggered an outpouring of grief in Melbourne, with hundreds attending a vigil at Royal Park last May.
She and her accused killer had been sleeping rough and battled mental health and drug issues.
Mr Hammond will return to court next month.
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