Mates 'had so much to give'
Conor Murphy lived by the mantra "here for a good time not a long time".
Diagnosed with Duchene muscular dystrophy as a three-year-old, Mr Murphy was wheelchair-bound by age 10 and not expected to live past his teens.
Yet as he sipped a beer with older brother Eamon on Sunday night, toasting another win by his beloved Fremantle Dockers, Mr Murphy was typically upbeat about his future.
The 25-year-old was recovering from a nasty fall two weeks earlier in which he broke both legs and he was preparing to return to work for Fremantle MP Melissa Parke.
Doctors could not operate on his injury because of his disability, but Mr Murphy was desperate to get back to his job.
"That is the kind of determination this kid had," Eamon said.
"I can't fathom having two broken legs and being sent home with just Panadol.
"He had more focus and more determination than anyone I've ever come across."
Mr Murphy and Beaconsfield housemate Kyle Scolari, who also had muscular dystrophy, died on Monday morning when their electronic respirators failed during a wild storm.
It is believed a back-up battery-operated system and generator also failed.
Eamon said it was not clear whether an alarm, designed to alert the on-shift carer when the power drops out, sounded on Monday morning.
He said the back-up battery was charged and previous blackouts - including one three weeks ago - had not posed an issue.
"If we run out of battery, we had a generator as well," Eamon said.
"The battery was charged.
"We know the carer got up at 4am to check on the boys and they were fine.
"At 7am he checked them again and that's when he found them."
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
Officers will speak to Western Power, the manufacturer of the respiratory medical equipment and the pair's carer.
Having met at age 12, Mr Murphy and Mr Scolari represented WA at countless electric wheelchair sports competitions, including hockey, rugby and balloon soccer.
"Their birthdays were a few months apart and their friendship was instant," Eamon said.
"They did everything together from day dot."
Eamon said Western Derby day at the pair's Beaconsfield home often dished up more fireworks than the football game proper.
"It was quite comical - Kyle was an Eagles fanatic and Conor loved the Dockers," Eamon said.
"They would argue all day and all night but at the end of it they would still be best mates."
Mentor and friend Hayden Stevens said he was devastated by Mr Murphy's and Mr Scolari's deaths.
"They had so much more to give and I was so looking forward to seeing what they were going to become," he said.
