Trish Smith ‘living a bad nightmare’ after allegedly killing her sons at their Blue Mountains home

Trish Smith is in custody “living a bad nightmare”, as her father struggles to come to terms with losing grandsons Ben and Russell Smith, stabbed to death at their Blue Mountains home.

The devastated grandfather of slain brothers Ben and Russell Smith has told of his anguish at having to bury his grandsons, saying “it’s just so tragic, I just can’t understand that they’ve gone.”

Geoff Densmore insisted he was not angry with his daughter Trish Smith, 42, who is in custody charged with murdering her two sons, aged nine and 11, at their Blue Mountains home last Tuesday.

As her lawyer revealed Smith was “living a bad nightmare”, her father was struggling to come to terms with the enormity of his loss.

“The kids, they were special kids, so special. I have to put them under the ground,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“I’ve got so much to do. So many people are affected by this, the government has got to do something about this,” said the real estate valuer from his home in Robin Hill, in the Central Tablelands of West NSW.

Trish Smith's father Geoff Densmore is reeling from the death of his two grandsons and is now planning their funerals, saying ‘I can’t believe they’ve gone’. Picture supplied

Mr Densmore maintained he and his wife Linda, a retired primary school sports teacher who is prominent in Catholic education, had no knowledge his daughter battled a history of mental illness.

“We really don’t know what happened. We had no idea she was unwell. Many prayers and private masses have been said for her,” he said.

Trish Smith, 42, is accused to killing her two children Ben and Russell as they slept in their Blue Mountains homes last Tuesday.

“You can’t imagine what it’s like. Imagine if it happened to your family.

“Linda, she’s not good, she’s very religious. She’s praying. I think I might crack one day but I’m trying not to. I’m trying to be strong for everyone.

“I still can’t understand Ben … Russell. They’re gone.”

He said he was not angry with his daughter for what had happened, rather he said: “There is only one word for it: tragic. It’s just so tragic. I crack up every time friends come over.”

Trish Smith’s husband Nick, with whom she had split earlier this year, found his sons dead at their Blue Mountains home and Trish suffering self-inflicted injuries.

Mr Densmore said he had not spoken to his daughter, who was released from Westmead Hospital where she was treated for self-inflicted injuries to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday. She is facing two counts of domestic violence-related murder.

The bodies of Russell and Ben Smith were found in their Faulconbridge home by their father, Nick, a week ago, on September 10.

Nick Smith, and his sons Russell and Benjamin and wife Trish Smith, pictured in March before the family tragedy at the Faulconbridge property on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Densmore said Mr Smith was in “a bad way”.

“We are all dealing with this, the whole community. We have to bury two children, we’ve never been in this situation before. We’re not sure what to do,” he added.

Smith’s lawyer Paul McGirr said she was in custody “living a bad nightmare” and coming to terms with the events of last Tuesday.

The bodies of brothers Russell and Ben Smith, aged 9 and 11, were discovered by their father, Nick Smith, last Tuesday.

He revealed on the eve of the alleged murders she had texted her estranged husband telling him “I love you” to which he replied “love you too.”

“The couple were living apart and raising the children amicably, their priority were the children and there was no hate in the relationship whatsoever,” Mr McGirr said.

“He used to come to the house, cook for the kids, and was very supportive of Patricia.

Pictured (centre) is Linda Densmore is the grandmother of the children that were killed by their mother Trish Smith in the Blue Mountains in early September 2024. Picture: Supplied

“The material and circumstances of what happened are very graphic, it’s an extremely sensitive matter and needs to be handled sensitively.”

The bothers’ bodies were found by their father on Tuesday with friends saying the discovery of their bloodied bodies has left him “horribly traumatised”.

Ms Smith was also found inside the home with alleged self-inflicted stab wounds and was taken to Westmead Hospital where she was under police guard.

Estranged husband Nick Smith discovered his two sons’ bodies at the home they used to share in the Blue Mountains last Tuesday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Police alleged she killed her sons sometime between 7.30pm on Monday and 12.40pm on Tuesday.

“He is horribly traumatised and really hurting,” a family friend said.

“We are doing what we can for him, but he is struggling, it’s hard to see him like this.”

Mrs Smith appeared in court on Saturday in a hospital gown and cast around her arm and spoke only to confirm her name and thank magistrates.

It has since emerged she had lodged three separate worker’s compensation claims with her NSW government employer for “anxiety and PTSD”.

Police lead away the family dog from the Faulconbridge home where two children were found dead. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The claims against her employer at the time, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), were initially dismissed, but subsequently settled on appeal.

Three were for “psychological” injury from when she worked at Local Land Services – a branch of DPI.

She had applied to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission after her employer would not re-employ her when she produced a medical certificate confirming that she was fit for employment. The Commission began a conciliation procedure which did not succeed.

Trish Smith had lodged three separate worker’s compensation claims with her NSW government employer for “anxiety and PTSD”.

The Commissioner was told her first claim centred around an “anxiety and panic attack”.

A psychologist later identified her “prior mental health issues” and reported her symptoms were exacerbated due to a “due to an incident at work”.

The psychologist said she claimed she suffered “post-natal depression – anxiety” and noted symptoms in line with “adjustment disorder with anxiety”.

The claim was also dismissed, with Ms Smith lodging an appeal.

Trish Smith, pictured with her brother Anthony, is facing charges for the murders of her sons Ben and Russell Smith.

The matter was finally resolved and she received compensation for 10 months from September 2019 to 9 June 2020.

In the third claim Ms Smith was given a letter initiating her medical retirement.

While the department threw out her claim for psychological injury, she was reimbursed $215.00 for two sessions with her psychologist.

Ms Smith had worked for Local Land Services since 2005.

She was diagnosed with anxiety in June 2017, and had been under medical care for her condition.

As a result of her anxiety, she was deemed to have a disability, which required the department to provide her with “reasonable adjustments” in way her work was structured.

The Commission ruled its decision to dismiss Ms Smith on her underlying medical condition was “rational”.

She accused the department of failing in its duty of care to provide a safe workplace when it sent its letter pushing for her dismissal “without undertaking an appropriately detailed risk assessment”.

Ms Smith claimed the dismissal was “discrimination and bullying behaviours” while she was employed.

She has been remanded in custody until her next committal appearance on November 8.

Originally published as Trish Smith ‘living a bad nightmare’ after allegedly killing her sons at their Blue Mountains home