Courtney Herron, 25, was found by dog walkers in the early hours of May 25. Henry Hammond, 27, was charged by police the day following her brutal killing and after a public call for information, police were told the pair were seen together on the night of the murder.
It was previously reported that Ms Herron had been sleeping rough on friends’ couches and had no fixed address.
Mr Hammond was charged with murder and faced a Melbourne court on May 27. The court heard Mr Hammond had previously been diagnosed with ADHD and had “possible delusional disorder”, “possible autism spectrum disorder” and had been prescribed Ritalin. He will appear again in court on September 16.
“The level of violence involved here was extreme in my view,” Homicide squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper told media. “This was a particularly, particularly horrendous attack.”
Following news of Herron’s death, it was revealed that Hammond had also worked at the same restaurant as Eurydice Dixon, a 22-year-old woman who was murdered in a Melbourne Park in 2018.
The staff at Lentil As Anything took to social media to address the two unfortunate events that had happened transpired.
“We remember Eurydice Dixon, a treasured volunteer and trainee barista with us, until the morning she didn’t arrive for her cafe shift,” it said. “Sadly, we find ourselves at this juncture again, almost a year later, in this epidemic of violence against women.”
“We get a lot of long-term homeless people coming in and Henry was one of them,” Ms Jones said. “He immediately presented with really tough mental health problems. I spent many an hour with him in the carpark and let him talk at me rather than with me.”
Ms Herron’s mother has also come forward following the tragic death of her daughter.
“She was a kid,” her mother Maxie told The Age. “She might have been 25, but she was so at risk. Believing, trusting, loving, but she was so vulnerable. She was like a little damaged bird.”
She also explained that their family tried everything to get Courtney healthy.
“We tried so hard,” she explained. “I would ring friends, go through Facebook, track her down. Get access to her Messenger, with her Facebook, and ring people, contact them. I would say, ‘You don’t know me, I’m Courtney’s mum, she’s left the house. I don’t know where she is.’
“When we knew she was in psychosis, I would beg dealers. I said, ‘I don’t care, I’m not interested in dobbing you in’. I would say, ‘Tell me what street’ and would go pick her up. I just wanted to get her help.”
While the stories of Dixon and Herron are incredibly heartbreaking and tragic, they show only a fraction of the reality of violence against women in Australia currently.
Thanks to the tireless work of Destroy The Joint, a Facebook community dedicated to gender equality in Australia, the names of those that have tragically lost their lives are remembered and honoured. Volunteer researchers Debra Smith, Pat Bradley and Sue McLeod from Counting Dead Women Australia, sift through court documents and media reports daily to make sure no woman’s story is missed.
While Ms Herron’s story is incredibly heartbreaking and tragic, it shows only a fraction of the reality of violence against women in Australia currently. Thanks to the tireless work of Destroy The Joint, a Facebook community dedicated to gender equality in Australia, the names of those that have tragically lost their lives are remembered and honoured. Volunteer researchers Debra Smith, Pat Bradley and Sue McLeod from Counting Dead Women Australia, sift through court documents and media reports daily to make sure no woman’s story is missed.
So far, in 2019 alone, 20 (known) women have been killed by violence.
The sad truth is, one in six women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. One in seven young Australians believe a man would be justified in raping a woman if she initiated sex but changed her mind, according to findings from the National Community Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women Survey (NCAS). On top of those results, one-quarter of young men think women find it flattering to be persistently pursued, even if they are uninterested.
The recent reports, coupled with the deaths of over 20 women this year, prove that our attitudes towards women are worlds behind. We, unfortunately, have a long way to go before this country starts to acknowledge the terrifying, often hateful ways women are treated.
If you are impacted by assault, domestic or family violence call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. If you need help immediately, please call 000.
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