By Sally Rawsthorne
A 42-year-old man is in police custody after he allegedly stabbed his housemate to death two weeks after he moved into the Russell Lea address.
Police found a woman’s body inside the Clements Street home in Sydney’s inner west on Thursday morning.
Police at the scene of a fatal domestic violence stabbing in Russell Lea on Thursday. Credit: Nikki Short
A member of the public rang 000 when they heard a woman “who needed help” screaming, Burwood Commander Superintendent Christine McDonald told reporters on Thursday afternoon.
The woman is believed to be aged in her 50s. She has not been formally identified as police seek her next of kin. Police will allege she was killed by a stab wound to the neck, but suffered “significant and multiple injuries to her upper body”, McDonald said.
All five of the people living at the address were at home at the time of the fatal stabbing.
“They are ... upset. The scene that police arrived to, it is very clear that is a homicide. You can imagine if you were known to the victim, you would be extremely distressed,” McDonald said.
“The man that we have assisting police has a non-violent, traffic and drug related history.”
“We know that the victim and the other housemates moved into this residence five to six weeks ago. We know that the [person of interest] moved in two to three weeks ago.
“[The victim and the alleged attacker] were not in an intimate relationship.”
Police have established a crime scene at the home. On Thursday afternoon, more than a dozen detectives gathered outside the home where a grey Volkswagen Tiguan remained in the driveway.
If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.