Sunshine Coast teens charged with murder over Zdravko Bilic stabbing death
A court has heard about the troubling circumstances of the two teens charged over the murder of Zdravko Bilic, who was found dead outside his Queensland house.
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Police have released footage of the arrests of two teenage boys who allegedly stabbed Zdravko Bilic to death out the front of his multimillion-dollar Sunshine Coast home he owned with his beauty mogul wife.
Officers will allege the 57-year-old, who worked as a soccer coach, was attacked and killed by two teenage boys following a disturbance at the home.
The matter was mentioned in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon, where lawyers discussed an application to collect DNA made by police prosecutions.
The court heard a parent must be given notice before such orders can be made.
One lawyer said his client’s grandmother was given notice instead of the child’s parents in regard to DNA samples.
He told the court both of the child’s parents were currently imprisoned.
Duty lawyer Michael Robinson, who represented the co-accused teenager, said the person nominated as a parent for his client was actually a potential foster parent
The court heard the teenager has been under the longterm care of the Department of Child Safety.
Police prosecutor Mark Burrell ultimately withdrew the DNA application.
He then ordered a brief of evidence and asked for both matters, which include all charges, to be adjourned to a Children’s Court date.
It was adjourned to September 10, with no appearance of the teenagers required.
They were remanded in custody.
Detective inspector Chris Toohey told the media on Thursday afternoon police believe Zdravko Bilic was fatally stabbed at about 11.30pm on Sunday night.
Mr Bilic’s body was later discovered by a neighbour in the front yard of his Warana home.
Police arrested and charged a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy in relation to Mr Bilic’s death.
“They are fronting court today charged with murder and multiple property offences,” detective inspector Toohey said.
“We have recovered property taken from the break and enter, it was a set of keys to Mr Bilic’s car that was in the driveway.
“The youths have been charged with other break and enter offences which have occured in the previous two days.”
Detective inspector Toohey declined to confirm whether the two teenages were on bail at the time of the offences.
Police met one of the teenagers as he disembarked from a bus in Toowoomba.
“We will be alleging a number of break and enters for the boys, certainly one on that night and one previously, on the day before.”
Detective inspector Toohey said it will be alleged the pair previously tried to break into another house on the Sunshine Coast as well as an address in Brisbane.
He declined to confirm whether the pair had a criminal history.
“The vehicle was a stolen car from Brisbane, there were linked offences to that car and they have been charged with some of those offences.”
Police believe they have located the murder weapon, a knife, which is undergoing forensic testing.
“Police will allege that both youths took part in the assault of Mr Bilic.”
Detective inspector Toohey said police were still investigating and talking to other youths on the Sunshine Coast in relation to the incident.
Mr Bilic, 57, was found dead on Monday night in the front yard of his Sunshine Coast home, with two stab wounds to his abdomen.
He was found after his wife, skincare brand founder Gry Susann Tomte, raised the alarm with a neighbour when she became
worried something was wrong.
As a result emergency services were called to the Napalle Street home at Warana about 7.35pm.
A resident of the street who did not want to be named said the local community was unsettled by the news but relieved police had made arrests.
Ms Tomte founded Melbourne-based skincare clinic HUD Skin and Body, with locations in St Kilda and Northcote.
A crime scene was declared and following extensive investigations police arrested two teens.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested in Chermside, and a 17-year-old boy was arrested in Toowoomba City.
A Department of Child Safety spokesperson would not comment on whether the two teenagers were known to them.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Zdravko Bilic,” they said.
“Queenslanders deserve to feel safe in their communities, their homes and at their places of work.”
Meanwhile, Premier David Crisafulli said the incident had rocked the Sunshine Coast.
“On behalf of the entire state, we are so deeply sorry for what that family is going through at the moment,” he said.
“No family should have to experience that kind of pain.
“No family should ever have to wake to that news and we are so deeply, deeply saddened by that and my heart goes out to that family and the broader community.”
Mr Crisafulli, who stressed he was not determining guilt or otherwise, noted the charges of murder against two teenagers had been laid since new legislation was introduced.
“Following changes we made earlier following our election any youths found guilty of murder face minimum mandatory life in jail under adult crime, adult time and I’ll allow the courts to do their job from here,” he said.
“We are not taking a backward step when it comes to dealing with the youth crime crisis in this state.
“We have already strengthened the laws, and we will continue to do so, because youth crime remains front and center in the minds of Queenslanders and when incidents happen they rock communities to the core.
“My resolve to continue to deal with this is as strong as ever.”
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, who represents the electorate where the stabbing death took place, described the incident as “sickening”.
“The community has great anxiety, as you’d appreciate, and as the local member of parliament I appreciate, I understand,” he said.
“We’ve got a family that are dealing with the most tragic and devastating of circumstances.”
Mr Bleijie, speaking generally about youth crime, said the government had acted but acknowledged there was “more to do”.
“Going forward if young juveniles are convicted of murder they will have mandatory life imprisonment under the Crisafulli government’s tough adult crime, adult time laws,” he said.
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