Police investigate five suspicious deaths in six months

It has been a busy year for Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley detectives as they work to bring more than a dozen suspected killers to justice.

Darling Downs District detectives have had a busy start to the year with five ongoing homicide investigations.

While they have charged 10 suspects in relation to four alleged murder, several suspects are still on the run.

Police attend an incident at a house on Ruthven St, Friday, December 24, 2021. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Len Andrew Hegarty

Mr Hegarty was found dead inside a Ruthven Street home in North Toowoomba on Christmas Eve.

Police allege the 53-year-old man was savagely beaten by two men aged 29 and 32.

The pair were initially charged with grevious bodily harm, but their charges were upgraded to murder after Mr Hegarty succumbed to his injuries.

Neither man has entered pleas to the charges.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs.

Elizabeth Struhs

Eight-year-old Elizabeth Rose Struhs was found dead in her Rangeville home on January 8.

Police allege Elizabeth was denied lifesaving diabetes medication.

A man and woman aged 50 and 46 have been charged with one count each of murder, torture and failing to provide the necessities of life.

They have not entered pleas to the charges.

Krishna Chopra died in her Crows Nest home, sometime around January 20, 2022.

Krishna Chopra

Crows Nest woman Krishna Chopra was found dead in her home on January 31, about 10 days after police suspect she was murdered.

The case proved a difficult one for police who launched a long running investigation before they laid changes for about six weeks later.

It was complicated by the fact that Ms Chopra had only recently moved to the area and had very few connections within the community.

A 33-year-old man was charged with Ms Chopra’s murder. He is currently held in custody and is yet to enter a plea.

Thor Morgan was shot in the head on March 15

Thor Morgan

Toowoomba man Thor Morgan left his girlfriend’s Harlaxton home in the early hours of March 15 and was driving along Ruthven Street when a utility pulled alongside him.

The occupants fire several shots at the 25-year-old with one hitting him in the head.

Instead of phoning Triple-0 Mr Morgan walked about a kilometre to his girlfriend’s home – with the bullet lodged in his brain.

Doctors were unable to remove the bullet and the young man held on for about two months until it killed him.

The matter remains an ongoing investigation and police are yet to make an arrest or lay charges.

Jamie Barlow was stabbed and died from the wounds on June 20, 2022.

Jamie Barlow

Mr Barlow is our latest murder victim.

He was at home in Laidley when he was confronted by a group of four alleged offenders about 9.30pm.

There was a disturbance where the 48-year-old father was stabbed several times and his home was set on fire.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene but they could not save Mr Barlow.

His death led to a widespread manhunt with police arresting five allege offender who have now been charged with murder, attempted murder and arso the following day.

They include two 19-year-old women, three men aged 24 and 19 and a 16-year-old boy.

The accused had their matters briefly mentioned in the Ipswich and Caboolture Magistrates Courts and they have not entered pleas.

Despite arrests on four of these five deaths they remain active investigations and police have called for anyone with information to come forward.