Girrawheen residents shaken by two deaths

Kids arriving home from school, the elderly, young adults, mums and dads all chatted nervously as police blocked Danbury Crescent about 5.30pm last Wednesday where officers had found a 37-year-old man dead in his home two hours earlier.

The residents were unaware that police had also found a 31-year-old woman dead about 4.20pm in an Arnos Way home less than 100m away.

But for now, the chatter centred around the two ambulances and stern detectives at work at the top of the normally quiet street.

Which house was it? Who had died? And why?

The only answers people had were for concerned loved ones who had heard about the murder on the news and phoned to check that they were OK.

Resident Dot O’Brien had to reassure family the victim was not one of her sons.

‘I said ‘no my sons are here’,’ she said.

‘It’s just bewilderment; nothing ever happens in this street.’

Nearby resident Jodie Linto arrived home to find police roadblocks already in place. She had received a call from a friend telling her to go home and lock her doors. Nothing like this had ever happened on the street before.

‘I just thought ‘oh no, not little Danbury’,’ she said.

By Friday, police had charged Nik Stoeski (36) with the murder of his wife, Vanesa Farcich, and friend Saso Filkovski.

District police boss Charlie Carver moved to allay any fears residents may have.

He advised them not to get caught up in rumours and innuendo.

‘There’s nothing to suggest anyone else is involved,’ he said.

‘If you don’t know what happened, then don’t speculate.

‘There are families grieving.’

Warwick police officers were first on the scene of both deaths and later, Warwick police boss Ken Walker arrested the accused.

A call had come in outlining a violent scene at a Girrawheen home.

Snr Sgt Walker commended all officers involved in the case.

‘It’s always a tragedy when anything like this happens, but you have to be professional in the way that you attend these things,’ he said.

‘I couldn’t be prouder with the guys, not just from Warwick, but all of the detectives and other officers.’

Mr Stoeski appeared in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday and was remanded in custody to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on May 29.