How suspected killer Paul Thijssen knew where Lilie James would be night of murder
Lilie James is believed to have been murdered by her ex-boyfriend Paul Thijssen as she returned sports equipment.
A friend of Lilie James’s suspected killer Paul Thijssen has explained how the 21-year-old water polo coach found herself alone with her ex-boyfriend on the night she was brutally murdered.
It is understood the 24-year-old sports coach and assistant knew he would be seeing his ex-girlfriend, who had only recently ended their five-week romance, on Wednesday night as she returned sports equipment at St Andrew’s Cathedral School.
A friend of Thijssen told The Daily Telegraph the Netherlands-born St Andrews alumni was responsible for collecting and putting away sports equipment when the school’s teams returned to the Sydney CBD campus after training at various locations around the city.
The pair were potentially doing just that when Lilie was killed in a gym bathroom stall, with police believed to now be investigating if the murder was premeditated, the publication reports. The 21-year-old water polo coach sustained “serious head injuries”, police said.
Paul Thijssen's friends in shock
Thijssen, who was seen hours later on CCTV in Diamond Bay Reserve dumping the alleged murder weapon in a bin, called police just before midnight on Wednesday to alert them of the location of Lilie’s body.
Thijssen’s friend told the Daily Telegraph those who were close to the 24-year-old, whose body was recovered from the water in Vaucluse on Friday, were stunned to hear about Lilie’s death.
“I’ll be honest with you, it’s the biggest shock ever,” they said. “I know this guy really well, this is a guy who has sat (with me) for hours.”
The friend said they had been speaking to a former partner of Thijssen who was “struggling to come to terms with him doing something this horrific.”
Close friends of Lilie’s family revealed on Sunday Thijssen just couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer following their split. The 21-year-old’s parents and brother are reportedly still “numb by the non-understanding of why.”
Lilie’s grandmother speaks after horror death
The 21-year-old’s grandmother Barbara spoke with 2GB radio host Ben Fordham on Monday morning to share her memories of her beloved granddaughter after her sudden death.
“I remember the day she was born, bright as a button coming out and never stopped since then,” she said. “Just kept learning and having fun. She had a lot of fun, Lilie, and she was so kind.
“Some people come into this world – I think they are so special, and they don’t stay long, and I think that was my granddaughter.”
With NCA NewsWire
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