A Sydney woman who allegedly decapitated her mother, in what is suspected by police to be a domestic violence-related murder, has claimed her whole body was “in agony” following the death of her mum as she suffers from several mental health illnesses.
Jessica Camilleri, 25, appeared via video link before Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday afternoon where she faced charges relating to the gruesome murder of her 57-year-old mum Rita Camilleri in what has been described by police as one of the “most horrific scenes” they’ve encountered.
Addressing court on Sunday, Camilleri’s lawyer reportedly explained that she suffers from a range of mental health conditions, such as border autism, bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression.
“I couldn’t even wash myself properly when I had a shower to get all the blood off,” Camelleri according to 7News. “I really need medical attention… I cannot move my fingers because of the incident that happened.”
Officers were called to the scene in the suburb of St Clair at around 11.40pm on Saturday, having received reports of an argument involving two women inside a property on St Clair Avenue.
NSW Police confirmed in a statement that the 57-year-old woman was found dead, having sustained multiple injuries, while the woman’s daughter, 25, was then arrested after being found in a neighbour’s front garden.
Speaking to media about the shocking incident, neighbour Ali Bostani, who answered the door to a blood covered Camilleri on Saturday evening, reportedly explained to media on Sunday that he had heard screams before the knock at his door.
ST CLAIR | Gruesome and confronting crime scene for police on St Clair Avenue – a 25yo woman in custody, her 57yo mother dead. Police called to a DV argument and found mother decapitated. Scene described as “as bad as it gets”, police counsellor has been on scene @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/ZFopATft4w
— Laura Banks (@laurakatebanks) July 20, 2019
“She said ‘I need help’, I said ‘what sort of help do you need?’ She said call the police or ambulance… her face was full of blood… she said ‘yeah I had a fight with my mum, I killed my mum’,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Meanwhile, The Australian reports Camilleri took to social media in the day leading up to the brutal murder with posts referencing horror films such as Jeepers Creepers. The series of movies are about a supernatural creature which stalks travellers and eats their body parts.
Read more: Horror as police discover ‘decapitated body’ of woman, 57, and arrest daughter
Camilleri didn’t apply for bail on Sunday and was reportedly taken for a mental health assessment at Nepean Hospital before her next appearance in court.
Investigations into the death of Rita will continue, while NSW Police confirmed that support is being provided to emergency first responders who attended the incident on Saturday evening.
Speaking after charges were placed yesterday, Detective Superintendent Brett McFadden said: “While police are trained to respond to all types of situations, there’s no getting away from the fact this was a horrific attack.
“This is up there with one of the most significant, most horrific scenes police have to deal with.”
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