Mum says son, 4, murdered in Bathurst house fire but investigators disagree
A New South Wales mum is appealing for help to solve the mystery over her son’s death in a house fire believing he was murdered but police say otherwise.
Jacki Kovac’s son Billy Johns, 4, died in a house fire at Kelso near Bathurst seven years ago and said her heart “never mended” since his death.
Ms Johns thought all of her seven kids made it out that morning but Billy was upstairs in her bedroom.
Making it worse, not only is the coroner refusing to hold an inquest, investigators say Billy could have caused it.
"I know he didn't do this and I want the bastards to pay for taking him away from me and my kids,” she said.
Seven News has seen police evidence suggesting someone else deliberately lit the fire as revenge.
Ms Kovacs said the then-17-year-old, who Seven News won’t identify, “just got out of jail” and was sitting on her front verandah.
A witness said the man threatened to burn down Ms Kovacs’ house “with every c*** in it”.
More than eight intelligence reports to police suggest the same thing, including the suspect’s own uncle who says the teen told his mum he paid someone else to do it but didn’t mean to kill anyone.
“It wasn’t meant to go through the window, it was only meant to land on the verandah and scare them,” a report quotes the man.
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The same man refused to give a formal statement to police but documents show in a phone call he admitted to investigators he wanted revenge and wanted one of Ms Kovac's kids bashed.
Now Billy's mum is collecting signatures, hoping to persuade the coroner to hold an inquest.
They're asking the Bathurst community to show its support at a walk across town in November.
