New details of Jaymes Todd’s murder of Eurydice Dixon revealed
At 11.07pm the night Eurydice Dixon was murdered, she crossed paths with her killer. This is the real reason he followed her.
The Broadmeadows man who meticulously stalked Eurydice Dixon to a quiet Melbourne park before carrying out a sick fantasy told police he followed the young comedian because she was drunk.
“Look at this drunk idiot. Might as well see if she does anything funny,” he told them in a recorded interview.
That was one of many lies the then-19-year-old told to cover his tracks after carrying out a “brazen” and “brutal” rape and murder on the soccer pitch at Princes Park.
The truth is that Ms Dixon was not drunk at all. An autopsy would reveal no trace of alcohol or drugs in her blood.
The real reason Jaymes Todd, 20, followed his victim was because “her appearance was of a sexual appeal to him,” his defence barrister Tim Marsh said in court yesterday.
Todd had been lurking around Flinders Street after a night of drinking and smoking cannabis with friends. He was loitering alone when Ms Dixon walked past him at 11.07pm on June 12, 2018.
What went through his head over the next 54 minutes is the subject of a two-day plea hearing in the Victorian Supreme Court where his lawyer will attempt to argue the murder was not premeditated.
But prosecutors and Supreme Court Judge Stephen Kaye say there’s an argument to be made the sexual sadist was fulfilling a sick fantasy — one he would indulge in further by watching violent pornography six hours after Ms Dixon’s body was found by a passerby.
Todd, whose computer search history reveals an obsession with violent sex, rape and “snuff” films depicting a person being murdered, had searched pornography websites for “curvy emo girl” in the lead up to Ms Dixon’s rape and murder.
As Judge Kaye said, his “intent to kill was driven by thoughts, fantasies and pornography”.
“His fantasies occupied his mind as he followed her. He then (went) and watched that video,” he told Todd’s defence team yesterday
Todd’s lawyer said “snuff” films were a “recent addition” to his client’s viewing habits. He had previously watched pornography involving choking and rape. The court had also heard he choked previous partners with their permission during sexual activity.
Ms Dixon was strangled by Todd, who used two thumbs to close off her windpipe.
KILLER STALKED EURYDICE FOR 54 MINUTES
The Supreme Court yesterday was shown CCTV footage of the 54 minutes Todd stalked Ms Dixon with “some sophistication”. It was the culmination of a series of events that tragically brought the killer and his victim to the same place at the same time.
At 3.23pm, Todd finished training and caught a train into town. With friends, he purchased a 700ml bottle of vodka from a Celebrations liquor store on Elizabeth Street and bought cannabis from two men before smoking it in a park.
After several drinks, Todd “loitered around Flinders Street Station”.
At 10.41pm, he walked past the Young and Jacksons pub outside the station towards Elizabeth Street.
He attended McDonald’s on Elizabeth Street and bought some food, paying with his Commonwealth Bank ATM card.
At 10.50pm, Ms Dixon arrived at Flinders Street after a night at a nearby comedy lounge where she performed and spent time with friends and her partner, Tony.
At 10.55pm, Todd left McDonald’s and walked to Flinders Street.
At 11.07pm, having seen Tony onto a tram, Ms Dixon walked back to the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets via the station concourse.
“The offender saw her as she exited,” the court heard yesterday.
“He loitered as she walked past him.”
As Ms Dixon began her long walk home, Todd followed her and “overtook her”. He “sat on milk crates and waited for her to walk past him”.
“He took deliberate steps to remain a distance behind her,” prosecutors said. He “used a pillar as a cover at Melbourne Central”.
As she walked past the University of Melbourne, he “increased his speed”.
At 11.54pm, she was seen on CCTV for the last time. Ten minutes later she would be fighting for her life.
After murdering Ms Dixon, Todd took her mobile phone. He “browsed” through it, the court heard, before using the camera function to inspect the scratches on his face — defensive wounds that indicated Ms Dixon never stopped fighting.
He slept for an hour or so on a train station bench and, at 5.20am, “purchased a pie and a coffee” before catching the train to Broadmeadows.
By that time, a crime scene had already been established.
Todd told his girlfriend there was “nothing to worry about” when she contacted him having seen his face on the news. He told police “the night was a blur” and that the scratches on his face were likely inflicted by his cat.
Later, after admitting to the attack in the face of overwhelming evidence, Todd told police “she looked like she was stumbling around … she looked like she was not in a position to defend herself”.
The two-day hearing is expected to conclude today ahead of sentencing. Judge Kaye told the court yesterday that he would consider a life sentence for the 20-year-old if it could be established that the murder was premeditated.