The family of Henry Hammond have expressed their grief and sympathy to the loved ones of his alleged victim, Courtney Herron, as more details emerge of his troubled mental health.
Mr Hammond, 27, was charged with murdering Ms Herron on Monday after her body was discovered by dog walkers in Royal Park in Melbourne’s Parkville early on Saturday morning.
Victoria Police said Ms Herron, who had no fixed address and was struggling with mental health and drug issues, was the victim of a “horrendous bashing”.
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In a statement, the family of Mr Hammond extended their sympathies to the loved ones of Ms Herron.
“Our deepest sympathy and compassion goes out to Courtney’s family and friends on their heartbreaking loss,” it reads.
“Henry Hammond grew up loved by his family and friends. For many years he has struggled with mental illness, more recently drug issues and homelessness.”
Mr Hammond is originally from Sydney’s northern beaches but moved to the Blue Mountains in about 2009, where he fathered two children, before moving to Melbourne.
For a time, he slept in his red van in the park near Lentils As Anything, a social enterprise restaurant, in Northcote in inner-northern Melbourne.
Manager Dayle Jones said she tried to help the young man, who was eating every day at the restaurant, but his mental health continued to deteriorate.
“I spent hours talking to him and trying to help him,” she said. “It became very clear to me his mental health was bad … he thought he was called Odin.”
Ms Jones said she was forced to ban him after an outburst. “One of the last times I called police, he was throwing himself against the window of my restaurant like a rabid dog,” she said.
“I had to get everyone in the restaurant to move into a safe place; we had locked the doors and I had police on the phone.”
Cameron Fahey, who went to Sydney’s Bradfield College with Mr Hammond, said they reconnected in Byron Bay four or five years ago where a crew of people were “gypsying around”.
“We were just busking and gypsying around and he definitely joined the entourage,” he said.
He said Mr Hammond experimented heavily with psychedelic mushrooms and LSD before he became hooked on heroin and ice.
“I think he was swept up in magic mushrooms and psychedelic drugs,” he said. “I guess he just went down a different avenue … you could call it a psychosis.”
Ahmet Ozkurt, who was in a three year relationship with Ms Herron, said he was struggling to come to terms with the loss.
Originally from Turkey, he spoke to Channel 9 from an immigration detention centre where he’d been placed after his visa expired
“I still can’t believe that this has happened to her, I’m still thinking maybe it’s somebody else,” he said.
“She was always smiling, she was so funny, so friendly.
“She was trying really hard, she was doing really hard, but this drug problem it’s not easy.”
Jessica Bateman said Ms Herron, a close friend, had been failed by the system.
“She had been trying to get into public housing. But that takes months.”
Ms Herron’s family visited the Parkville site for the second day in a row today, where the young woman’s body was dumped.
They added bouquets of flowers to the makeshift shrine as they sobbed.
Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Jenny Smith said homeless women were among the most vulnerable in society, and homeless people in general were far more likely to be robbed than the average person.
A GoFundMe to help Ms Herron’s family has exceeded its $10,000 goal.
A vigil for the young woman will take place on Friday.
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