Murder of Aya Maasarwe
Aya Maasarwe (Instagram)
Date16 January 2019
LocationBundoora, Victoria
DeathsAya Maasarwe
BurialBaqa al-Gharbiyye, Israel
ConvictedCodey Herrmann
VerdictGuilty
ConvictionsRape, murder
Sentence36 years
(30 years non-parole)

On 16 January 2019, Aya Maasarwe (alt: Aiia Maasarwe, Arabic: آية مصاروة Hebrew: איה מסארוה, [aˈja masaʁˈve]), a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship who was studying at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia as an exchange student, was killed as she returned home from an evening at a comedy club in North Melbourne.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The violent, random nature of the killing sparked renewed community concern about the safety of women, especially after dark in Melbourne. Parallels were drawn to the murders of Eurydice Dixon, Jill Meagher and Maša Vukotić.[8] Maasarwe was buried in her hometown of Baqa al-Gharbiyye, Israel.[9]

Background

Aya Maasarwe was born in 1997 in Baqa al-Gharbiyye, Israel, to a Palestinian Muslim family.[2][10][11] She was studying at Shanghai University, and was in Melbourne as part of a student exchange program with La Trobe University. Maasarwe was undertaking a business degree intending to work later at her father's firm in China.[12]

Death

Victoria Police believe Maasarwe was attacked sometime after midnight on 16 January, around 50 m (160 ft) from a tram stop on the corner of Plenty Road and Main Drive in the suburb of Bundoora. She had been returning home after attending a performance at a comedy club in North Melbourne and was on a video call with her sister.

Maasarwe's body was discovered around 7 am in shrubbery near the carpark of Polaris 3083 Town Centre shopping mall by maintenance workers. Items of clothing, suspected to belong to her attacker, were located within 100 m (330 ft) of her body.

On 18 January, 20-year-old vagrant Codey Herrmann was arrested in Pioneer Reserve, a park in the nearby suburb of Greensborough.[13] The following day he was charged with Maasarwe's rape and murder. He appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody.[14]

On 21 January the family received the body of Maasarwe from the coroner.[15] In the suburb of Dandenong at the Albanian Mosque, family along with supporters gathered for the Janazah (Islamic funeral rites) and prayer service for Maasarwe.[15] The family returned to Israel on 22 January with her body.[15] She was buried in her home town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye.[16] Her family later created a scholarship for Palestinian doctors in her name.[17]

On 29 October 2019, Herrmann was sentenced to 36 years in prison (30 years non-parole) for the rape and murder of Maasarwe.[18]

Reactions

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, in a statement condemning the killing, said that "sexist attitudes in our society" needed to change to end the problem of violence against women in Australia. Andrews stated that "Victorians are united in sadness. In anger that this bright young woman’s life was taken from her. I hope we are also united in determination. That we can – and must – end this culture of violence against women."[19]

References

  1. ↑ How dangerous is Australia for women?, BBC, 22 January 2019
  2. 1 2 Israeli female student killed in Australia is laid to rest, AP (Washington Post reprint), 23 January 2018
  3. ↑ Taylor, Josh (18 January 2019). "Police Have Arrested A 20-Year-Old Man Over Aya Maasarwe's Murder". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. ↑ 9NEWS (20 January 2019). "Man accused of Aya Maasarwe killing to front court". 9News. Retrieved 29 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "Aya Maasarwe's family to learn details of student's death". SBS News. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  6. ↑ Aiia Maasarwe's family grieve for Arab-Israeli student killed in Melbourne, ABC, 17 January 2019, Eric Tlozek
  7. ↑ Cunningham, Melissa; Precel, Nicole (18 January 2019). "Police trawl CCTV footage from tram, nightspot in bid to spot Aiia Maasarwe's killer". The Age. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  8. ↑ Tennison, Ryan; Fagan, Josh; Buttler, Mark (17 January 2019). "Woman's killer could have stalked her from Bundoora tram stop". News.com.au. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  9. ↑ "Hometown funeral held for slain exchange student Aya Maasarwe". SBS News. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  10. ↑ Khoury, Jack (17 January 2019). "Australian Police: Slain Israeli Woman Was on the Phone With Her Sister at Time of Murder". Haaretz. Reuters. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  11. ↑ "'More peace, more safety': Aya Maasarwe to return home with family". SBS News. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  12. ↑ Smith, Rohan; Palin, Megan (19 January 2019). "Melbourne mourns, vigils held for murdered Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe". news.com.au. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  13. ↑ Pearson, Erin; Boseley, Matilda; Hinchliffe, Joe (19 January 2019). "Codey Herrmann faces court charged with rape and murder of Aiia Maasarwe". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  14. ↑ "Codey Herrmann, 20, charged with murder over death of Aiia Maasarwe". ABC News. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 Oaten, James; Younger, Emma (21 January 2019). "Aiia Maasarwe's family prepare to return her body from Melbourne to Israel". ABC News. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  16. ↑ "Hometown funeral held for slain exchange student Aya Maasarwe". SBS News. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  17. ↑ Agencies (27 October 2019). "Family of Israeli slain in Australia starts medical scholarship in her name". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  18. ↑ Cooper, Adam (29 October 2019). "Codey Herrmann gets 36 years in jail for murdering Aiia Maasarwe". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  19. ↑ Cunningham, Melissa (18 January 2019). "Politicians condemn 'tragic, despicable' killing of Aiia Maasarwe". The Age. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
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