Gruesome past of unsuspecting $530 Sydney rental home
The room where the horrific crime took place has been recently painted, the listing says.
WARNING – DISTURBING CONTENT: The home at the centre of a “savage” killing where a daughter decapitated her mother has again been put up for rent in Sydney’s west.
The three bedroom, one bathroom home in St Clair is being advertised for $530 a week, and the kitchen has recently been painted, according to the listing.
On July 20, 2019, that same kitchen – with its horseshoe-shaped bench tops – became the scene of a horrific crime where Jessica Camilleri launched a brutal attack on her mother Rita.
Rita was stabbed more than 100 times, with at least six knives being used – four of which were broken in the frenzy. The 57-year-old was then decapitated by her daughter, with grisly details being heard in court.
Her head was found on the footpath outside the home, while her decapitated body was on the kitchen floor as were her eyeballs, tongue and tip of her nose, prosecutor Tony McCarthy told the NSW Supreme Court in December, 2020.
After two days of deliberations, a NSW Supreme Court jury found her not guilty of murder but instead guilty of manslaughter due to a partial defence of substantial impairment by abnormality of the mind that caused a loss of control. In 2021, Camilleri was sentenced to more than 21 years behind bars. Last September she appealed the length of the sentence in the Court of Criminal Appeal, with the court to hand down its decision at a later date.
‘Superb’ listing a ‘rare find’
The listing for the St Clair home has raised eyebrows on social media, with some admitting they wouldn’t be able to live there while others said it’s just “bricks and mortar” and found the crime irrelevant.
In the description of the home, the agent doesn’t directly mention the home’s history, but says: “There is a material fact relevant to the home, which will be disclosed when attending a viewing in accordance with relevant legislations.”
It also describes the “superb” home as a “rare find”, and said it is “inviting from the get go”.
The house was sold less than a year after the killing in June 2020, and was previously up for lease in the same year.
Real estate agents required to be honest about crimes in homes
When it comes to selling or renting a home where a crime was committed, real estate agents are required by law to be upfront about the issue.
“Any information that may influence a decision to buy, sell, rent, or impact a property’s market value needs to be disclosed to potential buyers,” the Real Estate Institute of NSW said on Thursday.
“Whether it is an outlook over a cemetery, a bad strata report or even the scene of a grisly crime, most properties do eventually sell.”
Ewan Morton, REINSW member and joint director of Morton Real Estate, said it’s best to be honest as early as possible about any issues affecting the property.
One of his hardest sales to date was an apartment where a person had been murdered.
“The biggest issue was that people came thinking that the vendor would sell it for cheap — some people don’t cover themselves in glory looking for the opportunity,” Mr Morton said.
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