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Two Teenagers Accused Of Stabbing Woman To Death And Injuring Her Husband During Australia Home Invasion
The suspects have a long history of crime, and one teenager served time for trying to kill a man in his home when he was 15, according to 7 News Australia.
Two 17-year-old boys are accused of stabbing a woman to death, and hurting her husband, as they broke into an Australia home the day after Christmas, police said.
The two teenagers, who have not been named by police, are charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder and entering a dwelling with intent in company, according to Queensland officers.
Police said the boys entered a home along Whitfield Crescent in North Lakes when they were confronted by a man and woman who lived there — a struggle that then moved out to the front yard. Emma Lovell, 41, was stabbed to death, according to The Guardian.
Her 43-year-old husband, Lee, was also stabbed and was taken to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital for treatment, according to the Guardian. Police said he’s okay and has been released.
Superintendent John Hallam said emergency services were confronted with a “horrific scene,” according to ABC News Australia.
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Using a dog squad, Queensland police found four teenagers at a nearby location just before 4 a.m. Tuesday. All four were taken into custody, and two were charged with murder. Police said the other boys are helping police. The teens appeared in Brisbane Children’s Court today and were denied bail, according to police.
“Emma was the glue to my family — she was such a beautiful person,” Lee Lovell told ABC News Australia. “We are all just devastated by her loss. It’s senseless.”
Social media posts show the teens accused of Lovell’s murder as being part of an alleged gang — taking joyrides in stolen cars, according to 7 News Australia. The news outlet reported one of the suspects, when he was 15, stabbed a man in his St. Lucia home in Brisbane in 2021, was sentenced for attempted murder and has since been released. 7 News also alleges one of the suspects was arrested on Christmas Eve and released on bail just hours before he allegedly stabbed Lovell to death.
Two of the boys are also face stealing charges related to a separate crime on Monday afternoon, according to 7 News.
7 News spoke to the victim of the 2021 Brisbane stabbing, Aaron Anderson, who believes “the system itself needs an overhaul.”
“There’s certainly need for some very careful consideration on the youth justice system and how we can better protect the community,” Anderson said to 7 News.
A petition has been set up calling for mandatory jail and no bail for armed and violent repeat home invaders, which the Lovell family supports, according to 7 News.
“Although Emma’s passing has ripped our family apart, I just hope there will be a positive change to come from this,” Lee Lovell said in a statement, 7 News reported. “I urge the politicians who can make changes to do so and not just talk about it to gain votes for the next election.”
The Lovells moved from Ipswich, a town in Suffolk, England, to Australia 11 years ago, and have two daughters, the Guardian reported.
Lee Lovell shared a post on his Facebook, showing the family spending Christmas day on the beach, writing, “Hope everyone has a great Christmas day spent with loved ones and friends.”
Emma’s best friend of 33 years, Christina Lofthouse, told the East Anglian Daily Times she’d spoken to Emma just hours before her death.
“This horrible and senseless crime has left a massive hole in our lives,” Lofthouse told the Daily Times. “She was the first person I messaged in the morning and the last person I spoke to at night. She truly had a heart of gold and helped me and my family out in some of our darkest days.”
If you have any information that could help police, contact Crime Stoppers at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
