Cairns child killings explained

Cairns child killings
Date:18 - 19[1] December 2014
Location:Manoora, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Type:Pedicide, mass stabbing, mass murder
Fatalities:8
Injuries:1 (the perpetrator)
Perp:Raina Mersane Ina Thaiday
Weapons:Knife or knives

On 19 December 2014, at 11:20 a.m., police were called to 34 Murray Street in the Cairns suburb of Manoora in Australia, where eight children were found dead. The victims were aged between 18 months and 14 years.[2] The bodies, with stab wounds, were discovered by the children's 20-year-old brother.[3] Neighbours reported that fighting could be heard from the house the night before and in the early hours of the morning.[4]

Victims

Eight children were killed: four boys and four girls, ranging in age from two to 14 years old. Seven of the eight were siblings or half-siblings, and the eighth was their cousin. Their family had ties across Australia, including in Perth.[5]

Perpetrator

Raina Mersane Ina Thaiday, also called Mersane Warria, was the mother of seven of the children and also the aunt of the eighth. Following the killings, she was hospitalised for self-inflicted[6] wounds from the incident.

Thaiday is alleged to have said to her eldest son, "I've killed them," when he visited the house at around 11:00 a.m. Police believe Thaiday drugged the children before the attack took place, as no one reported that they heard the victims during the attack. However, no drugs were found at the crime scene.[7]

On 21 December 2014, she was charged with eight counts of murder.[8] [7] [9] Prior to Christmas, Thaiday was moved to a mental health facility in Brisbane, with a preliminary hearing to occur in Cairns on 30 January 2015.[10] In April 2017, Queensland's Mental Health Court ruled that Thaiday was of "unsound mind" at the time of the killings, and thus (under Queensland law) not criminally responsible.[11], she is being held for treatment at the Park Centre for Mental Health.[12]

Aftermath

The Torres Strait Island Regional Council requested respect for privacy and cultural responsibilities, adding it was inappropriate to comment due to "strict cultural protocols".[13] The children's funeral was held on 10 January 2015 at Cairns Convention Centre.[14] [15] [16] The house was removed. Eight frangipani trees were planted on the site as a memorial.[17]

Notes and References

  1. News: Cairns stabbings: Family of eight killed children visit memorial, attend church services. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 December 2014. 21 December 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141220200134/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-21/families-of-cairns-murders-arrive-ahead-of-church-services/5981570. 20 December 2014. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Eight Children Found Dead at Home in Cairns, Australia . NBC News . 19 December 2014 . Helsel, Phil . 19 December 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141219110015/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/eight-children-found-dead-home-cairns-australia-n271426 . 19 December 2014 . dmy-all .
  3. Web site: Stabbings in Cairns, Australia leave 8 children dead, woman injured . CBC News . 18 December 2014 . 19 December 2014 . Associated Press . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141219183725/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/stabbings-in-cairns-australia-leave-8-children-dead-woman-injured-1.2878746 . 19 December 2014 . dmy-all .
  4. Web site: Woman heard screaming for forgiveness before child massacre. The Courier Mail.
  5. News: Cairns child massacre accused found God, denounced technology . Peter Michael . Greg Stolz . Damon Guppy . 22 December 2014 . 13 January 2015 . The Courier-Mail . News Limited.
  6. News: Cairns stabbings: Family of eight killed children visit memorial, attend church services. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 December 2014. 29 December 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141228115147/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-21/family-of-killed-children-visit-memorial-attend-church-services/5981570. 28 December 2014. dmy-all.
  7. News: Cairns deaths: A 'good mum' who concealed her demons . Jamie Walker . Sarah Elks . 28 December 2014 . 27 December 2014 . The Australian . News Limited .
  8. News: Cairns woman charged with murder of eight children: Bodies found in Manoora house. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 December 2014. 21 December 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141221061130/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-21/cairns-woman-charged-with-murder-of-eight-children/5981652. 21 December 2014. dmy-all.
  9. News: Family of Mersane Warria, mother in Cairns stabbing, speak out. Cameron Atfield. 21 December 2014. 29 December 2014. The Sydney Morning Herald. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141220215632/http://www.smh.com.au/national/family-of-mersane-warria-mother-in-cairns-stabbing-speak-out-20141220-12bfhq.html. 20 December 2014. dmy-all.
  10. News: Funeral plans confirmed for eight young victims of Cairns massacre. Grace Uhr. The Courier-Mail. 30 December 2014. 2 January 2015.
  11. Web site: Thaiday, Re [2017] QMHC 1 (6 April 2017)]. Australian Legal Information Institute. 16 July 2017.
  12. News: Cairns mother Raina Thaiday of unsound mind when she killed eight children, court rules. 4 May 2017. 5 May 2017. Kristian Silva. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170504195350/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-04/mother-killing-eight-children-in-cairns-wont-face-criminal-trial/8489830. 4 May 2017. dmy-all.
  13. Web site: Torres Strait Island Regional Council request cultural protocols in Cairns tragedy . 20 December 2014 . . 25 December 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141225063007/http://www.nitv.org.au/community/dsp-news.cfm?loadref=43&id=584 . 25 December 2014 . dmy-all .
  14. Web site: Public funeral for Cairns kids on Saturday. Yahoo!7 News. 6 January 2015. 8 January 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150110211702/https://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/25913281/public-funeral-for-cairns-kids-on-saturday/. 10 January 2015. dmy-all.
  15. Web site: Funeral plans confirmed for eight young victims of Cairns massacre. The Courier Mail. 30 December 2014. 8 January 2014.
  16. News: WARRIA, THAIDAY, WILLIE. 3 January 2015. tributes.couriermail.com.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150103085902/http://tributes.couriermail.com.au/notice/108942142. 3 January 2015. dmy-all.
  17. News: Michael. Peter. Cairns child massacre victims to be honoured on anniversary of their death with tree planting. 28 December 2015. Courier Mail. 18 December 2015.

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