A 27-year-old homeless man has been charged over the death of Courtney Herron, who was found dead in a Melbourne park on May 25. Victoria Police said the man had no permanent address and was charged overnight with one count of murder, and would appear in Melbourne’s magistrate’s court on May 27.
25-year-old Herron was found by dog walkers in Royal Park in the inner Melbourne suburb of Parkville on Saturday. Police said shortly after the discovery she had suffered extreme violence. “This was a particularly, particularly horrendous attack,” a homicide squad detective inspector, Andrew Stamper, said on Sunday.
Courtney’s story is, unfortunately, not uncommon. Eurydice Dixon was found murdered on June 12 last year after being raped. Aiia Maasarwe, 21, also died after being attacked while walking home near La Trobe University on 15 January. Both women were allegedly attacked by men they did not know. In April, Natalina Angok’s body was found dumped in Chinatown, after being killed by her one-time partner.
RELATED: Police Need To Stop Telling Women To ‘Be Careful’ To Avoid Rape And Murder
Herron’s murder has shocked Melbourne, and Australia, with many speaking out over the death of yet another young woman. Courtney is the 20th Australian woman to be murdered this year, which has prompted a huge outcry on social media with the hashtag #HerNameIs.
