Perth boy, 16, charged over mother’s killing and sister attack
A 16-year-old boy has been charged in Perth after police said he killed his mother and tried to kill his sister at the
PERTH — A 16-year-old boy has been charged in Perth after police said he killed his mother and tried to kill his sister at the family home in the city’s south-east. The case has been treated as a suspected family violence homicide, and the teenager is due in Perth Children’s Court today.
The alleged violence has left a 35-year-old woman dead and a 12-year-old girl badly hurt. The girl was found injured about 600 metres from the home, after police established a second crime scene on Albany Highway in Cannington. She is now understood to be in a serious but stable condition at Perth Children’s Hospital. Quiet streets, two scenes, one family shattered.
Police treated it as family violence
WA Police said the first emergency call led officers to a house on Mills Street in Bentley, where they found the woman’s body about 6:15am yesterday. Police then took the boy into custody at the home and later charged him with the alleged stabbing murder of his mother and attempted unlawful killing.
Detective Acting Inspector Jessica Securo told reporters the investigation was still at an early stage, but police had already classified the matter as a suspected family violence homicide. The homicide squad now has carriage of the case.
"While the investigation remains in its early stages, police are investigating this as a suspected family violence homicide and homicide squad have carriage," she said.
A child victim fled the scene
Police said the 12-year-old girl managed to escape the residence after she was also allegedly stabbed by her brother. She then called police, according to Securo, before being located injured on Albany Highway.
The geography matters here. Bentley and Cannington sit close together in Perth’s south-east, and the short distance between the house and the spot where the girl was found suggests the violence spilled directly into the surrounding neighborhood. For residents, it means a family tragedy unfolded in plain view, with police cordons and forensic work now marking two nearby locations.
The ABC said it is unable to identify the accused boy or the alleged victims for legal reasons. That restriction is standard in cases involving children and reflects the legal protections that apply when juveniles are accused or harmed in serious criminal matters.
Why the court appearance matters
The teenager is expected to appear in Perth Children’s Court today. That appearance will be watched closely because it is the first formal step in a case that has already drawn attention for its age, its setting and the family relationship at its center.
Juvenile homicide allegations are rare and especially distressing because they combine violent crime with child protection concerns. For police, the case is now both a homicide inquiry and a family violence investigation. For hospitals and child welfare authorities, it leaves one child dead, another in care, and a court process that will have to handle the matter through the youth justice system.
Securo’s words point to the direction investigators are taking. The homicide squad is leading the file, and police are still piecing together what happened inside the Bentley home before dawn and how the injured girl made it out to Cannington. The next public milestone is the court hearing today.
"While the investigation remains in its early stages, police are investigating this as a suspected family violence homicide and homicide squad have carriage," Securo said.
