New South Wales police are charging a man with killing his father in northern Sydney
“It’s the most peaceful, divine piece of paradise, so it’s terribly sad to hear about it.”
According to court documents, Kenneth was killed on Thursday between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m. The accused killer’s address is listed as a beachfront unit in Avoca Beach on the Central Coast, about an hour from the home in Berowra Heights.
Jaiken Fitzpatrick remained in the cells at the police station next door as his case was heard at Hornsby Magistrates Court on Friday morning.
Family members of the man killed in the suspected domestic violence incident.Credit: Nick Moir
Defense attorney Andrew Scali said there was no request for release and requested his client be referred for a psychiatric evaluation by Justice Health.
He said the defendant was “extremely unsettled” and had reported mental illness and taking various medications, including dexamphetamine, in the past.
“It wasn’t easy getting instructions from him, your honor,” the lawyer said.
Judge Alex Mijovich said he would instead let Fitzpatrick receive mental health treatment and leave it to correctional services, the judiciary and the police to “sort out the problem.”
Police remained at the home in Berowra Heights on Friday morning.Credit: Nick Moir
When asked by the judge whether the defendant was at risk of self-harm, Scali said he could not make “a clear statement.” The lawyer did not comment as he left court.
Two women, believed to be family members, sat in the gallery for the brief mention.
When asked outside court how the family was doing after the tragedy, the younger of the two women replied: “We are very sad.”
The woman shook her head when asked if she knew what happened.
The judge adjourned the case to Downing Center Local Court on October 31.
Fitzpatrick was convicted at Gosford Magistrates Court on August 22 of breaching an arrest violence order and stalking.
He was ordered to undergo treatment as directed by Community Corrections and was to be monitored for 12 months.
The sentence included an order that he undertake “rehabilitation for mental health issues and domestic violence prevention.”
To protect one person, force orders were issued on the same day The Herald has chosen not to give his name, but is not Fitzpatrick’s father.
This masthead spoke to a number of other neighbors and residents on the quiet street on Friday, but they either said they didn’t know the family, hadn’t seen or heard anything the previous day or didn’t want to comment.
A forensic van was parked in front of the house, which is adjacent to other two-story brick rowhouses. The shared driveway was blocked by a paddy wagon and a group of investigators arrived around 2 p.m. and spent an hour at the address, which officials said was still a crime scene.
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