News & Politics - 8 year old murdered and raped in shopping centre

SMG_fan · 06-27-2006, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Every parent's nightmare
From: By Tony Barrass
June 28, 2006
A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has told detectives how he frantically searched a busy Perth shopping centre for his eight-year-old sister before discovering her naked body slumped on the floor of a toilet cubicle.

Sofia Rodrigez-Urrutia-Shu had been stripped of her school uniform, raped and strangled within minutes of leaving family members to go to the toilet.
Detectives said the girl's only mistake was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Devastated:Church-going family shattered
Crime blog »
In what police have described as an appalling atrocity against a vulnerable innocent girl, Dante Wyndham Arthurs, a 21-year-old part-time shop worker, was last night in custody after being charged with wilful murder, two counts of sexual penetration and deprivation of liberty.

Sofia's family, active members of the Catholic community in Perth's southern outskirts, said they were struggling to comprehend the murder of their youngest daughter.

"We are all devastated by the sudden and senseless loss of Sofia," they said in a statement. "We have received immense support from the police, the parish and from the school community which we greatly appreciate.

"Please keep Sofia and our family in your thoughts and prayers."

Sofia was a student at the Mater Christi Catholic Primary School at Yangebup. Police said all students and staff would receive counselling if required.

Her father was on a business trip in Hong Kong when his daughter's body was discovered. He flew back to Perth yesterday morning.

Police spent yesterday searching Mr Arthurs's brick house and taking away items for forensic examination.

They also set up a post at the Livingston Marketplace shopping centre and were hoping to gather more information from shoppers who were at the scene on Monday afternoon.

They have seized surveillance video taken inside the shopping mall.

Detective Senior Sergeant John Wibberley, of Perth's Major Crime Squad, said the three Rodrigez-Urrutia-Shu children - Sofia, her 14-year-old brother and 11-year-old sister whose names have been withheld - had been taken to the shopping centre after school on Monday by an uncle.

At about 4pm, Sofia went to the toilet while the other three waited inside the shopping centre.

When she had not appeared after 10 minutes or so, they went looking for her and checked the male, female and disabled toilets. Both the male and female toilets were empty, but the door was closed on the disabled toilet and the occupied sign engaged.

When the boy knocked on the door, a man's voice acknowledged there was someone inside. The brother then left and searched the car park.

When he returned five minutes later, he saw the man quickly emerge from the disabled toilet and run past him. The boy looked into the cubicle, saw his sister's body and then chased the man.

Unsure of what to do, he gave up after a few metres, ran back to the toilet and sat with his dead sister until help arrived.

At 4am yesterday, detectives raided a house in Jeremiah Way, not far from the shopping centre, and arrested Mr Arthurs, who was in his bedroom at the time.

He was taken to Canning Vale police station, interviewed and charged yesterday afternoon. He later appeared in Perth Magistrates Court, before magistrate Barbara Lane. He was not required to enter a plea. He was remanded in custody to reappear on July 11.

Mr Arthurs's father, Ron, told The Australian how he and his wife Suzanne were "shattered" when detectives arrested their son.

The brutal killing has stunned Perth and follows the murder of 15-year-old Collie girl Eliza Davis, who was strangled with speaker wire and buried underneath a house in the southwest coal mining town last week. Two of her friends have been charged with her murder.

I really don't know what to say when things like this happen. I get so angry that people can do things like this and then I keep thinking of how the poor girl must have been feeling in her last few minutes of consciousness. Then I just feel like crying every time they show the girls face on tv. The thing that did this should have his B**ls ripped off and a lot more done to him which I shouldn't say here.

Belinda

abe56 · 06-27-2006, 07:14 PM

Oh my God! That was just so upsetting.. I just don't know what to say!

Aussie bubbles · 06-27-2006, 10:20 PM

This has actually occured at my home town of Perth and it makes me feel sick!

To think that this happened in the space of about 10-15 minutes when her brother, sister and uncle were all looking for her is heartbreaking!

The photo they have of Sofia to use on the news is of her smiling and it is so sad to see.

Her poor family - her parents were in hong Kong at the time and had to come back to perth.

I just hope that the man who committed this crime is punished severley.

-Kelly- · 06-27-2006, 10:55 PM

I'm from the Perth state, and this is shocked me when I heard about this yesterday

Police said he done it before, but they didn't have any prove for the first time round...and now, they do.

What an animal.

*Ledi* · 06-27-2006, 11:10 PM

I don't even know what to say.

Lain · 06-27-2006, 11:29 PM

I am at a loss for words. I saw the article from dailyrotten.com

Aussie bubbles · 06-27-2006, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Kelly-

I'm from the Perth state, and this is shocked me when I heard about this yesterday

Police said he done it before, but they didn't have any prove for the first time round...and now, they do.

What an animal.

Really kelly?
Who do they suspect he has killed before?
That is really interesting!

GhostWriter · 06-28-2006, 12:09 AM

OMg, I was just talking to a friend of mine that lives in Australia about this and he and I both feek that the only thing to do to people like that is a firing squad... they don't deserve anything else except for maybe slow torture at my hand so that they will know at least a portion of what the victim felt...

Aussie bubbles · 06-28-2006, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GhostWriter

OMg, I was just talking to a friend of mine that lives in Australia about this and he and I both feek that the only thing to do to people like that is a firing squad... they don't deserve anything else except for maybe slow torture at my hand so that they will know at least a portion of what the victim felt...

Could not agree more!

it is devastating - especially for a city like Perth.
Perth is still in many ways like a small country town and stuff like this really affects the whole city...

-Kelly- · 06-28-2006, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussie bubbles

Really kelly?
Who do they suspect he has killed before?
That is really interesting!

Not killed, he raped before

*Lauren · 06-28-2006, 02:01 AM

One of the branches of the company that I work for has a store there and talking to the guys there they were horrified. I'm not in favour of the death penalty, but for this scum they should.

I hope they put him in general prison. He'll get what's coming to him there.

SMG_fan · 06-28-2006, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Kelly-

I'm from the Perth state, and this is shocked me when I heard about this yesterday

Police said he done it before, but they didn't have any prove for the first time round...and now, they do.

What an animal.

I heard on the news that they had proof before but the case got thrown out for a technicality, I really think that they should stop doing things like this, especially if it comes down to the safety of our kids.

Belinda

SMG_fan · 06-28-2006, 07:36 AM

I'm not for the death penalty either, but cases like this make it very hard to keep thinking that way. I really think they should cut his bits of, without any pain killers or numbing down. I think they should lock him in a room with the little girls family and see what happens.

I just don't get what could make a person do this, she was 8 for gods sake. We live in a terrible, terrible world.

Belinda

brookiez69 · 06-28-2006, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Kelly-

Not killed, he raped before

Yeah I think maybe thats just about as bad

Aussie bubbles · 06-28-2006, 03:25 PM

The Police made a statement this morning that the murderer or Sofia is in no way related to any of the murders in the UK like people first believed...


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