“No matter how they’ve separated us, I will never stop loving you forever. Goodbye, my daughter, in the light of the angels.”
By midday, more than 170 people had flooded the comment section with condolence messages for the family. Most were written in Greek.
Athena Georgopoulos and her partner, Andrew Gunn. The couple were expecting a baby.
“There are no words to ease the pain of a mother who loses her child! May God give you strength to bear this pain. The only certain thing is that your girl is in the arms of our Lord and Virgin Mary,” one read.
“Petty, I saw your beautiful daughter’s face on the news last [night], and couldn’t believe it. Life is sometimes not fair, but God always takes the good ones first. Sending you all the love and strength to get through this difficult time. We all love you very much and are here if you need us,” read another.
Athena, 39, also known by friends as “Tina”, was five months pregnant with her first child, a daughter, when she was allegedly murdered alongside her partner, Andrew Gunn, 50, inside their Mount Waverley unit on Monday night in what police believe was a targeted attack.
The man accused of murdering them and beheading Gunn, 34-year-old Ross Judd, smiled and winked in court on Wednesday morning as he was told there would be delays in the case due to the “complex” crime scene left behind.
A sketch of Ross Judd, 34, as he appearing before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.Credit: Anita Lester
Judd, who has no fixed address, was arrested by officers at Westall train station in Clayton South, about six kilometres away from the crime scene, about 1.40am on Tuesday. He had two large dogs with him at the time.
Video footage shows officers subduing and arresting a shoeless man dressed in a white short-sleeved T-shirt soaked in blood on a train station platform.
The 34-year-old sat in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court between two security officers, dressed in a black T-shirt. Stumbling as he entered the dock, Judd told security he was OK before taking a seat, winking at a sketch artist and smiling at members of the media.
During the brief hearing, the prosecution asked for another 10 weeks to prepare the brief of evidence, noting there was a complex crime scene and the existence of significant DNA that needed to be processed by police.
The court heard the two autopsies would also be delayed, due to Georgopoulos being pregnant at the time of her death.
“I understand that causes delays,” the prosecutor said.
Police will also need to analyse CCTV images, present electronic items for analysis, and lodge exhibits with forensic services, the court heard.
Defence lawyer Annie Allen agreed to the delay but noted it was her client’s first time in custody. She also asked that he be seen by a custody nurse to follow up on his medication and physical health issues.
Magistrate Johanna Metcalf granted the extension of time and ordered Judd return to court in January.
“All right, Mr Judd, so I am remanding you to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on the 13th of January next year for a committal case conference hearing on that day,” Metcalf said.
“There is no application for bail being made today, so you are remanded in custody. Do you understand all of that?”
Judd, with his arms crossed, replied: “Yes, I do.”
In Mount Waverley, the Adrienne Crescent unit remained a crime scene on Wednesday afternoon, more than 36 hours after officers were called to the area. Forensic specialists wearing blue jumpsuits and gloves could be seen loading boxes into the back of a Toyota Hilux.
Friend Elisha Brown drops flowers off at the scene.Credit: Justin McManus
Elisha Brown, a friend of Georgopoulos and Gunn, whom she called ‘Morphy’, laid a bouquet of sunflowers and a card emblazoned with a rainbow in front of the block of units.
“In shock with what’s happened – lost for words … thanks for the memories,” the card read.
She told reporters she had visited the couple just days before their deaths and that they were excited to have a child.
“Neither of them had had kids previously … it’s sad,” she said.
Brown said Georgopoulos always had a smiling face and was always cracking jokes. Gunn and his pet dog, a German shepherd called Dragon, were inseparable.
“That’s what’s funny about this. Him and his dog went everywhere; his dog didn’t like anyone near him,” Brown said.
The couple’s next-door neighbour, Bob Mortimer, often saw Gunn walking Dragon past his house.
Neighbour Bob Mortimer heard a dog barking the night of the alleged murders.Credit: Justin McManus
“He used to walk past all the time walking his dog, and my dog would bark at him and I would just say hello, I didn’t have much to do with him,” Mortimer said.
A long-term Mount Waverley resident, he said that on the night of the alleged murders, he heard barking coming from the couple’s home.
Officers were called to the unit shortly before 10pm on Monday and found Georgopoulos and Gunn dead inside.
Investigators are still trying to establish the connection between those involved, but they believe Judd was known to the couple.
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