Kew was just waking up when the news spread. Lachlan Starick, an 18-year-old Trinity Grammar School graduate, was found dead hours after a brutal overnight stabbing that nearly claimed the life of a teenage woman. Police believe the chain of events points to a murder-suicide attempt, leaving two families and an entire community stunned.
The violence unfolded just after 1 a.m. on Miller Grove, a quiet street where little ever happens. Police say the 18-year-old woman had just returned home from a night out with friends. As she pulled into her driveway and prepared to step inside, a man she knew approached her.
Investigators say the confrontation was sudden and vicious. The young woman was stabbed multiple times right there, in what should have been the safest place she knew. Superintendent Wayne Cheesman later described it as a heartbreaking scene, noting that she was simply walking into her own home when the attack began.
Emergency crews rushed the woman to hospital with injuries first believed to be life-threatening. As doctors worked through the night, police secured the street and began piecing together what had happened. By morning, authorities confirmed the woman was in stable condition, a small relief in an otherwise grim story.
Detectives quickly identified the suspect as Starick, an 18-year-old from Camberwell who had graduated from Trinity Grammar School. Officers from the Boroondara Crime Investigation Unit launched a search, fearing the worst but still hoping to locate him alive.
That search ended around 6:15 a.m., when police received a Triple Zero call from Antwerp, more than 300 kilometers away. Officers found Starick dead at a property believed to belong to his grandmother. Police say he died by suicide and that his death is not being treated as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Authorities have made it clear they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the stabbing. The investigation is ongoing, focused on understanding what led to such a devastating night. Meanwhile, shock continues to ripple through school communities and neighborhoods tied to both young people, a painful reminder of how quickly violence can shatter young lives.
