Husband heard ‘distressing noises’ that may have been wife’s murder

A MELBOURNE man called his wife from interstate last week and heard “distressing noises” on the other end. Soon after she was found murdered.

COPY PICTURE FROM CHANNEL 7 NEWS: ID REQUIRED ... Prasad Somawansa, 48, was found dead in her Hoppers Crossing home on Thursday night

A MELBOURNE man may have heard the attack that killed his wife in their suburban home last week.

Prasad Somawansa, 48, was found dead from severe injuries to her upper body in her Hoppers Crossing home on Thursday night.

Her husband Priyantha Somawansa was in Queensland driving trucks and called her about 8pm that night and heard “distressing noises”, the Herald Sun reported.

He tried phoning her back for the next hour but she never answered. He asked a colleague to check on her and he found the door opened and her dead inside. A weapon has not been recovered.

The killing occurred soon after the couple’s 21-year-old son Wishhasad Somawansa was called to an incident as an State Emergency Service volunteer. His father was unable to reach him and it is unclear how he learned his mother had been attacked; it’s possible he heard the news through the SES.

“It is unclear if he was contacted by the father and or whether he actually heard it through communications with the SES and as a result has come back to the premises here and found out that his mother has been murdered,” Senior Sergeant Stuart Bailey told The Age.

Prasad Somawansa, 48, was found dead in her Hoppers Crossing home on Thursday night

Sigaragh Baea, 21, of Lara, near Geelong, was charged with one count of murder during an out of sessions court hearing. Picture: Jason Edwards

A friend of the son, Sigaragh Baea, 21, of Lara, was charged with her murder on Saturday night and briefly appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday morning.

Wishhasad told the Seven Network he knew Mr Baea from primary school but hadn’t seen him for a decade until they recently met again.

He invited him to his family’s home for dinner.

“She had breast cancer, and she survived that. She’s had so many surgeries, and she survived,” Wishhasad told Seven.

“It all seemed so perfect, it felt like everything was coming together — and it’s all gone.”

Sherini Dharmabandu, who knew the family, told The Border Mail: “They are a very lovely and a very innocent family. I do not know how this happened to this lady. She is a very loving mum and a very loving friend”.

Mr Baea will face court again on Tuesday.