Killer Scott Murdoch took lethal dose of medication in Melbourne jail cell
A murderer who killed a mum and bashed a defenceless grandmother took a lethal dose of medication in his Melbourne prison cell.
Police & Courts
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A notorious murderer who ended one woman’s life and brutally attacked several others killed himself in prison, a court has heard.
Scott Murdoch, 43, was found dead in his cell at Melbourne Assessment Prison in April 2021.
He had been convicted to life in prison in 2020 over the horrific murder of Pakenham mother-of-three Kylie Blackwood and a savage attack on a defenceless grandmother.
A summary inquest into his death revealed Murdoch died by overdosing on medication he was prescribed in prison.
The Coroners Court on Friday heard Murdoch – with a history of attempted suicide and medication hoarding – sourced about 21 days of the medication which he took while locked in his cell.
Prison staff found Murdoch the morning of April 19, 2021 lifeless on his bed with blood coming out of his mouth.
A code black was called but authorities did not perform CPR as it was clear he was dead.
“The way in which Mr Murdoch acquired 21 days worth of medication cannot be confirmed. He may have hoarded his own medication or sourced in from other prisoners,” a summary of his death revealed.
The court heard Murdoch had overdosed on the medication in February and September 2017 so he was taken off it until 2019 when it was recommenced subject to “enhanced monitoring” to assist with sleep and mood stability.
Murdoch suffered a range of conditions including borderline personality disorder and depression, the court heard.
Suicide notes were found in his cell, including reference to his “regret”.
The court did not hear what his regret related to.
Ms Blackwood was killed in her McCaffery Rise home on August 1, 2013 in a suspected burglary.
The 42-year-old’s body was discovered by her 11-year-old twins as they arrived home from school.
Murdoch was on parole over a brutal stabbing and bludgeoning of another woman when he killed Ms Blackwood.
In 2006, Murdoch attacked a woman he met on a chat line after she refused to have sex with him.
The victim, Karen Cheeseman, spent six weeks in hospital after being stabbed and bashed with a paperweight.
Murdoch was jailed and later released on parole, where he was free to murder Ms Blackwood and slit a grandmother’s throat in the space of just three months.
He barged into the Endeavour Hills home of 79-year-old grandmother Ilona Prohaska on May 21, 2013 and slit her throat and hammered a knife into her neck.
He remained free for more than two years after Ms Blackwood’s murder and was arrested in April 2016 after an extensive investigation by the homicide squad.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 36 years’ jail in 2020.
The court heard a review into Murdoch’s death recommended alternative methods of medication delivery for prisoners with a history of attempted suicide or hoarding.
Murdoch was given medication through the trap door of his cell.
His cell was regularly swept to check for stockpiled medication and prison staff said he exhibited no signs of suicide ideation prior to his death.
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