Women’s bodies set on fire and found in a chest freezer are some of the worst crimes of 2019
A woman’s body set on fire after being raped and murdered, and another found in a chest freezer in an apartment. These are some of the horrific crimes that shocked the nation in 2019.
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A young woman raped and brutally murdered and her body set on fire.
A couple on the road trip of a lifetime killed by two psychopaths with their own death wish.
A woman’s body found in a chest freezer in an apartment after concerns were raised for her welfare.
These are some of the terrible crimes that shocked the nation in 2019.
AIIA MASAARWE
The year had barely started when news broke of the horrific and brutal rape and murder of another innocent young woman walking home on the streets of Melbourne.
International student Aiia Masaarwe, 20, was attacked in January 15, after getting off a tram in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Bundoora, to walk the rest of the way home after enjoying a night out with friends in the city.
The Palestinian-Israeli student had called her sister Ruba, who was in Israel, to talk while walking home alone because it made her feel safer.
But within seconds of the call connecting, Ms Maasarwe was attacked.
Ruba heard her screams down the line, along with her last words as her yelled in Arabic “You piece of s**t” at her attacker.
Aiia was bashed in the head with a metal pole dragged into nearby bushes and raped.
Her callous killer 21-year-old Codey Hermann bashed her another nine times with the metal pole, strangled her and set her body on fire.
Hermann plead guilty to the rape and murder and has been jailed for 36 years.
BRENTON TARRANT
Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people and wounded dozens more in
a hate-fuelled attack on two mosques in Christchurch in March.
The worst peacetime mass shooting in the country’s history prompted New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to introduce tough new firearm laws banning semiautomatic weapons after the attack.
Tarrant pleaded not guilty to 92 charges and will stand trial next May.
PREETHI REDDY
In March, a popular and respected 32-year-old dentist was found murdered and her body stuffed in a suitcase.
Preethi Reddy had gone to a dental conference in Sydney’s was reported missing on Sunday after she failed to return home from a dental convention at St Leonards, in Sydney’s north.
It was later discovered her ex-boyfriend Harshwadhan Narde had driven from Tamworth to the conference to see her, and sometime later that night had stabbed her to death.
But before her bloodied body was found in a suitcase in the boot of her own car, Narde had killed himself by driving his BMW car into the path of a semi-trailer on the highway just south of Tamworth.
AMY PARSONS
In April, Australian Amy Parsons died at the hands of her fiance, Roderick
Deakin-White in London, when he beat her to death with a metal bar while she was in the shower.
Deakin-White, a 38-year-old Brit, had a penchant for cross-dressing, one of the reasons
Parsons wanted to end their relationship and move on with a new partner.
In a fury of rage and jealousy, Deakin-White decided to end the 35-year-old’s life instead. He was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years in jail.
LUCAS FOWLER AND CHYNNA DEESE
In July, Australian Lucas Fowler, 23, and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese, 24, were road-tripping in British Columbia, Canada when they were shot dead, their bodies left on the side of a highway.
Two local teens also reported missing, Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky, were eventually determined to be the prime suspects, killing another 64-year-old Canadian professor before their bodies were finally found 3200km away, in Manitoba, after a weeks-long manhunt. Canadian police confirmed that the pair had killed themselves; two firearms were found beside their bodies.
RENXI OUYANG
In November, the body of Chinese woman, Renxi Ouyang, was found curled up in a chest freezer in a unit on Sydney’s north shore suburb of Pymble.
Her body was discovered in a deeply frozen state after police had to force their way into a two-bedroom apartment.
They had received a tip-off from someone in Australia with concerns about the welfare of the woman.
Ms Ouyang’s body was found a day after her real estate agent husband Haoling Luo left Australia for China with their two young sons.
It is understood the freezer had been purchased around the same time, Ms Ouyang was killed.
BRENTON ESTORFFE
It was Brenton Estorffe’s birthday when he was woken by the sound of breaking glass;
intruders had entered his home just west of Houston, Texas.
The 29-year-old leapt out of bed to confront them and protect his wife Angeleanna and his two children, aged one and three.
He was shot dead.
His killers have not yet been caught and a motive has not been established.
Originally published as Women’s bodies set on fire and found in a chest freezer are some of the worst crimes of 2019