‘Clean the blood': Alleged murderer's chilling bottle shop act after couple killed in Melbourne

News.com.au

2 days ago

Chilling new details have emerged of a homeless man's movements after he allegedly murdered a pregnant woman and her partner in Melbourne, with staff claiming he walked into a local bottle shop 'soaked in blood'.
Ross Judd, a 34-year-old man with no fixed address, was charged with the murder of Athena Georgopoulos, 39, and her partner, Andrew Gunn, 50, whose bodies were found at a unit on Adrienne Crescent in Mount Waverley on Monday night.
Mr Gunn had been found decapitated with his head reportedly mounted on a spike.
Shortly after the killings, Mr Judd, who has two German Shepherds, was seen at a local bottle shop wearing a dark hoodie about 9.48pm on Monday, The Australian reports.
The 34-year-old was seen purchasing a number of beverages while his two dogs waited outside for about 10 minutes.
Staff could reportedly be heard in CCTV footage saying Mr Judd was 'soaked in blood'.
'He asked for napkins and water to clean the blood,' one staff member told the publication.
'I didn't want any trouble so we let him come inside and buy whatever he wants.'
It comes after claims emerged on Wednesday the accused killer also dined out on fast food just minutes after the crime.
Witnesses said they saw a man 'covered in blood' ordering McDonald's approximately two kilometres from where the victims were killed.
The man was accompanied by two German Shepherds wearing bandannas and 'stood at the food pick up counter wiping the blood on his hands with tissues,' according to one diner.
An employee at McDonald's said the man ordered a Coke Zero and two medium cheeseburgers without pickles.
Earlier that night, before the alleged double murder, a man matching the description of Mr Judd was seen in footage, obtained by 7News, leaving a Melbourne Bunnings with what appeared to be a stake and a jerry can in his arms.
The Bunnings is located in Notting Hill, just 1.5km from Ms Georgopoulos and Mr Gunn's Mount Waverley home.
Moments later, at about 8.10pm on Monday, the same man was captured on dashcam footage approaching Ferntree Gulley Road.
At 9.55pm that evening, police swarmed Ms Georgopoulos and Mr Gunn's home after neighbours heard screaming and called triple-0.
Mr Judd was arrested just hours later. Footage shows the moment a man with a bloodied shirt and no shoes was handcuffed and taken away by police.
Mr Judd fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday for a brief administrative hearing, charged with two counts of murder.
Flanked by two guards, he stumbled as he entered the court.
'I beg your pardon, yeah I'm all good,' he said.
Mr Judd was wearing a dark-coloured T-shirt and sported a short beard and hair spiked up in a faux-hawk.
At one point, he smiled and winked at members of the media.
The court was told police were seeking an extra 10 weeks to prepare a brief of evidence in the case.
Police allege the accused was known to the couple, and that one of the victims lived in the unit.
Dog dispute could hold key
An argument over dogs may have caused friction between Mr Gunn and his alleged murderer.
Neighbours had reportedly noted tension between Mr Judd, who was known to many locals, and Mr Gunn over his beloved German Shepherd who rarely left his side.
Mr Judd himself owns two German Shepherds and was often sighted around the area with the canines in tow, including on the evening Mr Gunn and Ms Georgopoulos were killed.
According to the Herald Sun, Mr Gunn and Mr Judd may have been involved in an argument about the sale and ownership of other dogs.
Friends of Mr Gunn told the Herald Sun: 'That's what spun me out when I heard about (the deaths), because he and his dog went everywhere together and Dragon wouldn't let anyone near him.'
Expectant mother's heartbreaking final moments
Hours before she was killed, Ms Georgopoulos, who was five months pregnant, had been on the phone to family and friends on Monday to reveal the gender of her baby.
During the conversation, the 39-year-old told loved ones she was excited to be expecting a baby girl, the Herald Sun reports.
Ms Georgopoulos and Mr Gunn had been together for around three years and were excited to welcome their miracle baby.
'She thought she would never be able to have children … because of her age,' Ms Georgopoulos' aunt, Patty Dilveridis Dilveridis, told publication.
Ms Georgopoulos' mother, Petty has been left devastated by her daughter's death. Ms Georgopoulos had been her mother's primary carer, with Petty suffering from health issues.
In a heartbreaking post on social media, Petty paid tribute to her daughter and future granddaughter, who was due in just four months.
'My dear, you left life so unfairly I can't yet believe that you were so happy on your last days,' she wrote in Greek on Facebook.
'We dreamt together about my grandchildren that would bring to your heart's desire and suddenly everything went out in one night, cutting the thread of your life and my grand daughter who would've been born in four months.
'Even if they separated us I will always love you forever, welcome my daughter to the life of the angels.'
Neighbours shocked
Half a dozen homes remained cordoned off on Adrienne Crescent in Mount Waverley on Wednesday morning as neighbours expressed their 'shock' at what had occurred.
Dimmi, a woman who knew Ms Georgopoulos and her mother, said she was devastated to read about the news on Facebook.
'I came back and said to my husband, some murder happened here. On Monday when it happened, I went to bed around 12 o'clock and didn't hear anything,' Dimmi told news.com.au.
She said Ms Georgopoulos kept to herself, so much so that she was not aware the pregnant mother was living a few doors down.
'I didn't even know she lives there. I'm Greek too, so I was so close to her mother, but didn't see her for about 10 months.'
'I've been here for 25 years, I walk along this street all the time but never saw her.
'I'm going to ring her mum, I'm in shock now. I don't know much about the girl who passed away, but I knew her when she was young. They used to come to my house all the time.
'She was a lovely girl. A very nice girl. I'm so, so sad.'
Another neighbour, Mary, said she too had also never seen Ms Georgopoulos despite living several doors up the road.
'Everybody is shocked here. It's amazing that it's just happened so close. I've spoken to others in the street and they said they didn't hear anything.'
A man walking his dogs on Adrienne Crescent on Wednesday morning said locals had reported some trouble from the apartment where the couple died.
'I've lived here for 30 years and we've never had problems.'
Several officers remained at the scene as neighbours woke to letters in the mail from Victoria Police.
'Recently there was a serious incident in your local area,' the letter read.
'Monash Police are committed to community safety and in support we provide this letter to offer additional crime prevention assistance and reassurance.
'If you require any further assistance with welfare support services please don't hesitate to make contact.'
Inside the tiny unit, officers allegedly found Mr Gunn's mutilated body next to the body of Ms Georgopoulos.
The alleged motive remains unclear, though reports suggest drugs may have been a factor.
Detectives said they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the killings and confirmed a weapon, although not a firearm, was used in the alleged murder.
Graffiti was visible on the couple's home with one message reading 'Karma is not a menu' and references to veganism such as 'meat is murder'.
Other phrases were also visible including 'betrayal, unpredictable, inevitable'.
'Police are aware of graffiti on the property in Mount Waverley where the bodies of two people were located last night,' a police spokesperson said.
'Homicide Squad detectives will work to determine if the graffiti is relevant to the murder investigation.'
Speaking from the scene on Tuesday morning, Melbourne homicide squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said the man in custody was known to the pair.
'We believe that there is a link between our suspect and the address,' Inspector Thomas said.
'Police were called at about 9.20pm in relation to a welfare check at the address based on some yelling that was heard from the property.
'A second call was then made that suggested it was perhaps more urgent than what the first call was and police arrived minutes later, and obviously they found the male and female inside the premises deceased.
'We believe he (the suspect) may be of no fixed place of abode.
'It appears to be targeted and our suspect is known to the address.'